From Darkness to Light
by Valius 926
Summary: Before her time as lieutenant of the 10th Division, Rei Mikihara was sold into slavery, being forced to fight and kill until Captain Shiro Matsumura saves her from her own hell and offers the helping hand to save her from her inner darkness.
1. Born in Blood

"I don't want to fight anymore…"

The heavy wooden door creaked as the man worked the lock, shoving it open and marching into the cell, leather straps cracking against his palm as he approached the small figure chained to the wall. The teenage girl cried out as the tool of discipline enforcement cracked down, her already heavily bruised forearm taking the blow as she raised it to protect her head. Kicks from iron-capped boots crashed into her sides and she doubled over in pain, gasping for breath. As she collapsed, the man undid the chain holding her to the wall, gripping a fistful of her long, unkempt hair and throwing her aside into the dirt.

"Now you listen to me, girl. I didn't pay good money to hear your whining. I own you and when I tell you to fight, you'll fight." She yelped as he seized her by the back of the neck, forcing her to look up into his leering face and feel his stinking breath on her skin. "I gave you a choice when I first bought you. You could either go to the arena…or you can work in the brothel. And believe me…many of my clients have already expressed an interest in you. If I wasn't worried it might hamper your fighting potential, I'd give you to them. They'd pay good money…"

"Now get dressed…and armed." The man threw down a dirty bundle, a short sleeve shihakushou and on top of that two sheathed weapons, a daishou, both blades lacking in tsuba. Struggling to her knees, the girl pulled the slave garment off and quickly clothed herself in the shihakushou. She slid the katana into her sash, reaching for her wakazashi before pausing, seemingly hesitating. Her right hand slid along the sheath to the hilt, fingers wrapping around the battered leather grip. She cast a furtive glance towards the man. He was watching her closely, grinning maliciously down at her through decaying teeth. She shuddered and shoved the wakazashi into her sash too, standing up and walking out of her cell, being shoved hard in the back towards the opening at the far end of the tunnel and towards the light.

As she stepped outside, the roar of the crowds struck her hard, stunning her on the threshold of the arena. After being in the shadows for so long, the sunlight overhead near blinded her, blurring the faces of spectators as they screamed for blood, either hers or those of the other figures on the stage. As she blinked, some of them came into sharper focus, showing her several faces, some she knew, some she didn't but each was as young as herself. Each bore a hostile look, death stares aimed in her direction. The naked blades in their hands flashed in the sunlight, polished and sharpened, all the better to carve into flesh.

High above them, the man in charge gave the signal, a red strip of cloth being released into the winds and fluttering to the arena floor. The noise from the crowd intensified, their fists and stamps causing the ground to shake, clouds of dust rising up around them. The girl's heart was starting to race faster, her palms turning slick with sweat. The other young gladiators charged, bare feet slapping against the sand floor, weapons flashing. A boy broke out from the mass, his faster pace carrying him towards her with a frenzied scream, raising an axe two-handed above her head.

_He's going to kill me…? I don't want to fight…but I don't want to die either…_

He was almost upon her, spittle flying from his open mouth as he slashed down at her, aiming to bisect her from skull to pelvis. Her limbs began to tremble with fear. Her heartbeat increased even further and a red tinge began to fill her vision. The sunlight glinted off the axe head as it cut through the air towards her, a foot, then an inch away. Her right hand tightened on the hilt of the katana at her side. A blade flashed and blood splattered the sand. A body collapsed to the ground.

A thin line of blood ran down the flawless blade of the katana as the boy's head dropped at her feet and the girl raised her blade two handed, holding it before her eyes. The crowd went mad at the sight of the first death of the match, screaming approval and beating their fists on the overlooking parapets. There was a crescendo of screams but all seemed to fade to nothing to her as she advanced, her stride covering the distance between her and the approaching crowd of gladiators in a split second. Her katana flashed in her right hand as she swept it around in a devastating great arc.

Another boy raised his giant warhammer to block but her blade cleaved right through the haft, burying in his collarbone with a spray of blood and shattered bone. Her foot pressed against his chest to wrench it free and immediately cut laterally, slicing a girl's neck open as the latter tried to get in close with a dagger while her weapon was stuck in the first attacker's body. The slave shoved the two bodies aside as three more gladiators came on, hopping over the bodies of their fallen comrades to get at her, too hyped on the cheers of the crowd to worry about their own lives. Well that would be their mistake. Their insanely joyful faces as they charged fuelled her hatred, her will to live… _I don't want to die…_

Her katana flipped around in her hand, her grip reversed as she drew back her right hand and hurled it with all her might. It shot through the air like chain lightning to bury in the centre attacker's neck, the boy coming to a halt, quivering on the spot and unable to just drop. The slave's hand found her wakazashi as she kept on going, diving at the one on the right and aiming a flying kick for her chest, feet bounding off the ground in a rush of sand. Her foot connected, sending the girl flying as the slave pounced off her and flew at the third gladiator, seizing her katana from the body of the transfixed dead one and crossing her blades in a vicious slash across and removing the man's head. The gladiator she'd kicked aside to start with rolled to her feet and lunged with a pair of short swords. The slave didn't even bother to turn as she slung her katana backwards, even as the enemy ran onto it, being pierced through the neck and collapsing to the ground.

A pause… The girl stood there alone, her chest heaving as the effects of her physical exertion finally became apparent. Her katana was held loosely in her right hand at her side, her wakazashi in her left. Blood stained both blades, dripping steadily from the tips and staining the sand red. And all around her…the corpses of several teenagers lay in pieces, lifeless eyes staring either at her or up at the blazing sun above and their ultimate freedom, the thing that had been promised to them if they could kill her.

_Why me…? Why?_

She just wanted to leave now…but there was no leaving this place while an opponent still remained. The ones that she'd killed were the warm up act, the starting feature to get the crowds going for the climax battle. And as the gates opened at the far end of the arena, opposite to where she had entered, the other gladiator company's champion emerged from the darkness. Despite the killing spirit that filled the girl, she felt a shiver as the figure stepped out on to the grounds.

Another teenage girl stood here, dressed in a form-fitting fighting uniform with a dougi tied over the top, though with her arms and legs from the thigh down exposed. A daishou was tied at her side and a tantou blade flipped up and down in her hands. As the gladiator girl saw her, she stopped tossing the blade and held it in a reversed grip. Long dark hair fluttered out behind her, dark, cold eyes glaring at her from between a few loose strands. As their eyes met, the other girl gave a grin, a cruel expression that made the slave's knuckles whiten on the hilts of her weapons. As the gladiator came level with her, she spoke in a smooth yet hard voice.

"So girl…you're the one they've all been talking about? Sure don't look like much…just some common Rukongai whore." They began to circle, eyeing each other up, blades held at the ready. Neither seemed willing to make the first move. Then the gladiator girl reached across and slapped her hard in the face, then a second time. "Tch… Alright...let's do this then, girl."

The gladiator lashed out with her tantou but this time the slave girl ducked back, the tip opening a thin line on her cheek, whipping around and kicking the knife free from the extended hand. She countered with her katana, slashing high only to have it stopped dead by the gladiator's wakazashi, drawn in a flash to intercept the strike. The second blade flashed as it was drawn, opening a line across the slave girl's stomach, causing her to wince even as a sandalled foot connected with her chest and hurled her backwards into the sand. Gasping for breath, she rolled aside as two blades stabbed down into the ground where her body had been only a second before.

"Come on, you little bitch!" The gladiator came on, kicking for the slave girl as she rolled to her feet in a crouch, sending her rolling back again but this time rising to her feet, katana and wakazashi raised ready. They cut through the air to parry a storm of heavy blows, taking steady steps backwards as she was driven into a retreat. The slave girl's heart was racing faster and faster as the number of attacks increased. Her back collided with the areana wall and her eyes widened in sudden shock even as the gladiator's lips twisted in a grin. A powerful swing with both blades sent the girl's wakazashi flying away, spinning over and over to land point down in the sand several metres off. The whistle of a sword and a cry of pain burst from her lips as the gladiator drove her own wakazashi through her right shoulder. The gladiator drew back with her katana to finish her off with a beheading strike.

Gritting her teeth, the slave girl slashed sideways with her katana, driving the other girl back and bare feet pressing against the rough stone walls as she sprung forward, her blade cutting a bloody line across the gladiator's brow. A punch to the jaw, a kick in the stomach and a quick rotation brought the slave girl's sword flashing around in a great arc that shattered the other girl's blade, the upper half breaking off and spinning away into the distance. She dived forward to stab her katana through the gladiator's throat but the latter spun, twisting aside and catching her by the wrists, flipping her over her shoulder and dumping the girl into the dirt. A twist of her hands and the katana was reversed. Leaning heavily on the blades, it flashed downwards burying itself through the slave girl's shoulder.

The girl let out a howl, more an animalistic cry than human. The gladiator girl's momentary look of triumph was replaced with surprise and fear as the slave girl gripped the naked blade with her left hand, gripping it tight, opening the skin of her own hand to stop it being withdrawn. Her right swept across, snapping it in half, seizing the pointed half and holding it in a bloodied hand. She stabbed upwards and drove it into the gladiator's gut. A scream burst from her lips as she fell back into the sand. She attempted to rise but the slave girl was on her in a second, springing on top of her and pinning her to the ground, right hand drawn back with the bloody blade grasped in it.

_Why am I doing this...? _

The gladiator girl's eyes were wide with fear, wanting to move but unable to. All around them, the steady roar of the crowds increased in volume, louder and louder, screaming for blood. The slave girl felt her hand trembling, desires conflicting within her, to drive her blade into her enemy's heart warring with...something else, something she couldn't define or identify. The gladiator girl's eyes were locked with hers. She could see herself reflected in the deep brown, a feral figure; savage expression, filthy and bloodied by those she'd already killed.

_I don't want to do this. I don't want to kill... But she was trying to kill me. If I don't kill her, she'll kill me. I have to..._

"Die...!" The gladiator closed her eyes, averting her gaze as the slave girl's grip tightened on the blade, blood running from her palm and staining the metal an even deeper red. The sun flashed as it plunged downwards, stabbing through and pushing through any resistance until her hand rested against the surface. Slowly, the gladiator girl's eyes opened, staring into her eyes and then looking down to where the blade had sank into the sand. A small smile reached the slave girl's lips as she slowly dismounted the other girl, standing and stepping away. The latter kept staring at her in shock as attendants now rushed forward to lead her away. Her eyes remained on her for a moment before a mass of bodies shielded her from view and the slave girl was left standing alone in the middle of the blood-stained arena.

_It's okay. I didn't have to kill her. Mother would be...happy, I think. _

A flurry of footsteps sounded behind her and several guards came running out from the side tunnels, surrounding her. The slave master came striding out, towering over her. "What the hell do you think you're doing, girl? These people paid to see blood. Are you trying to ruin me...? Answer me, you little bitch!" He struck her, punching her hard across the jaw and dropping her to the sand. He kicked her hard, rolling her over, then placed a firm foot on her face, pushing her into the sand. The taint of iron and the wetness of blood filled her senses. Her hands clawed in the sand, gripping around an object. With a thrust, she drove the blade shard into the man's leg, stabbing it in and twisting.

He let out a roar of pain, stumbling back as the guards closed in, beating her with the butts of their spears. Her vision swam as pain exploded all over her body, already bruised from being struck again and again. Then she felt the sand move beneath her as hands grabbed her by the ankles and she was dragged towards the entrance tunnel. As the ground beneath her changed to the stone of the tunnel, her movement paused.

"So...this is the girl, huh?" It was a new voice she'd never heard before.

"Yeah...that's the little whore. What about her?" This time it was the slavemaster. His breathing was heavy with the effort of ignoring the bloody wound she'd inflicted on his leg. She grinned to herself, a small smirk no one but her could see. _I did good, didn't I, Mother?_

"What do you call her then? What's her name?"

A pause before the slavemaster replied.

"Mikihara. Rei Mikihara, sir."


	2. Loss in Rain

Rei's rebellious actions of earlier that day did not go unpunished. It hadn't been long after she'd regained consciousness in her cell that the slave master with his attendants had wrenched open the door and marched in. As they hauled her upright, securing her arms above her head and her ankles to the floor in the centre of the small room, she had time to look at them one by one, making out their faces in the dim firelight. The slave master, heavy-set and overweight Shoka Kazama limped in, bearing a thick leather whip, the stink of dried blood still strong.

At the door was another large-bodied man looking at her through blood-shot eyes, as he smoked some kind of narcotic. That was Kyo Kazama, the slave master's younger brother. Sweaty hands groped at her thighs, making her look down to find the leering, gaunt face of Chiyo Daigo, the main henchman who was supposedly still shackling her ankles to the ground. He moved away to stand in the corner where the fourth figure of this party stood, a tall figure dressed in a black shihakushou, a long katana sheathed at his side. She didn't know his name but had heard him referred to as a shinigami.

He regarded her without emotion or expression, studying her curiously. As Shoka stood before her while unrolling his long whip, her moment for observing the men's faces was cut short with a loud crack and a searing pain across her midriff. After that, she drew in on herself and attempted to ignore the next few hours as he took out his frustration on her, beating her mercilessly until blood ran down her back from countless deep cuts. Then the group got bored and left. She blacked out shortly afterwards.

--

Her mind often receded into her memories at times like these, clawing at the past to try and escape the pain of the present. The young woman in her mind's eye began to shrink, becoming smaller until only a little girl stood before her. That had been her when she was still with her family, before all of this…and before her mother had died. It had all started from there, the beginning of her hell.

Standing at the doorway of their home, her mother looked down at her, that loving smile on her beautiful face. Long dark hair fluttered around her in the morning breeze, contrasting against the white haori she wore over a black shihakusho. Despite the long blade that was sheathed at her side, Rei had only ever felt comfort and safety when she had held her. Catching sight of her daughter, the captain had hurried over to her, hugging her tight and reassuring she'd be back soon.

Another figure had appeared at the door, a tall man also wearing a captain's haori and carrying a long and heavy-looking blade across his back. As he turned to regard Rei, she found herself looking into a blank gaze, a black strip of cloth concealing his eyes. She withdrew, hiding behind her mother's legs but the woman gave her that comforting smile, pointing him out as her senpai and close friend. He certainly didn't look it…but she trusted her mother.

Then the two left, haori whipping out of site as they stepped outside, the twin symbols of the Ninth and Tenth Divisions emblazoned on their backs. The door slid shut, leaving Rei alone again. Picking up her shinai from the wall hanging, she'd walked off down the corridors to find her father to wait until her mother came home again.

The scene shifted, moving several years into the future. The small girl grew into a skinny teenager. She was hurrying through the corridors of her home to bring dinner to her mother who was carrying her new baby brother. Rei had burst into the living room to find another man clad in the haori of a captain and bearing a drawn blade aimed towards her mother. The woman had ordered her to get away and she'd obeyed, hesitating only for a moment to see her mother drawing her own blade from its sheath.

The sounds of fighting had reverberated throughout the house, finding bodies all over the place, slashed or stabbed and left to bleed to death. Rei had burst out into the courtyard, looking for someone to help when the first flames began to spread across the roof. A crash from behind had revealed the other man charging out and seizing her in a grip on the back of her neck and holding his bloodied blade to her as her mother arrived.

He'd ordered her to throw aside her weapon or he'd slit Rei's throat. Tears running down her cheeks, she'd shouted at her mother not to but without a pause, the woman held her hands up, letting it slip from her grasp to bury point down. Rei stared wide eyed as the wind rushed past, her short hair rippling as the man moved, crossing the distance between him and her mother in the blink of an eye and burying his blade in her chest.

She fell to the stone floor, dark hair cascading around her face and hiding an agonised expression from view behind it. Rei had run to her, dropping down to her side and tugging at her kimono, screaming and pleading with her to answer, her hands coming away red with blood. The man loomed over her, a mad gleam in his eyes and his bloodied blade gripped in his hand. Through her tears, Rei had seized her mother's dropped blade, attempting to swing it at him but he batted it aside, raising his own to finish her off as well as she shielded her mother's body.

Then another figure entered the fray, a flash and roar of fury as the man her mother had called her senpai suddenly materialised, smashing into the other man and sending him flying. The look on her senpai's face was furious and grief-stricken as he drew the heavy blade from across his back. A single stroke and the other man fell cleaved in half.

The senpai had rushed over to the pair of them, gently moving Rei aside as he tended to her mother. He'd cradled her in his arms, pulling off his haori and tying it around her to try and staunch the wound but it was already too late. Gripping the front of his shihakusho, she'd pulled her senpai close to whisper something in his ear and then called Rei over to her. Even through the blood streaked across her face, she managed that smile. She held Rei's violently trembling hands in hers, telling her it would be alright. Then her eyes had closed and she was gone. For some reason, it'd started to rain, masking Rei's scream to the heavens as she clung to her mother's body until she eventually passed out.

The next sight wasn't that long after the previous one. Her father was drinking again. Watching him fearfully from around a corner, she watched as he finished one bottle and grabbed drunkenly around for another while staring endlessly at the portrait of his wife, her mother, hanging on the wall. Those days Rei had to hide from him. The sight of her built his inactive stupor into a towering rage, accusing her of being the reason her mother died. He'd never been the most loving of fathers but his disapproval had blown into anger and violence. The empty bottle thrown by her father crashed next to her head, sending her running away with a yelp of fear.

A few months passed, then a few years. Her father's drinking got worse, his rages got more violent. The drinking was soon accompanied by gambling...without success. Debts mounted up and rapidly their home was taken away to pay them off...and then the day came when men turned up to take away the last thing he had to offer to pay off his debts; his daughter. Young, beautiful and entirely untouched...the young noble man who came to claim his winnings had agreed to the deal without much debate. She'd pleaded with her father to reconsider but he'd turned his back on her. She'd run but they caught her, knocking her unconscious and carrying her off to the same cell where she now slept.

And then they'd made her kill. The short line of females had been dragged in, chained together and brought before Kyo Kazama. Watching one of the other slave girls being dragged off had prompted Rei to reach for the offered katana instead. Young female gladiators seemed to draw bigger crowds. Facing one of the slaves, her hands had quivered, holding the blade before her. Then the screams of the girl who'd been taken away had sounded from the other room and Rei had attacked, not at the just as frightened girl before her but slashing at the guards around her. One attempted to grab her from behind but she reversed the blade, stabbing back desperately and ramming it through his chest. He'd fallen to the ground dead. She'd killed her first man but didn't even have time to care.

Another had come at her but a panicked slash opened a line across his arm. There was movement behind her and she whipped around but found her blade stopped dead by a black-clad figure, wearing a shihakushou and blade locked with hers. She'd made to slash again but suddenly the katana was no longer in her hands...and then his fist swept out, striking her in the face and she'd blacked out. She'd been signed up as a gladiator and since then her life had continued to be washed in blood up until this day. As she continued to sink deeper into the darkness, varying expressions on the different faces in her memory flashed through her mind. Prominent amongst them was the hatred on her father's face as he cursed her for being born, her mother's loving smile even as her eyes closed...and the freezing, blank stare of the man her mother had called senpai as he looked down at Rei, carrying her mother's body in her arms, the captain called Shiro Matsumura.

--

"Hey Shiro-kun. How come you're still here?"

Shiro half-turned in his seat at his desk as a weight suddenly descended on his shoulders, a cascade of long white hair falling across his peripheral vision as he found 12th Division Captain Kirio Hikifune resting against him. He gave a long sigh, closing the documents and reports he'd been working on, sliding them away into the corner. "Is it that time already?"

"You know it is. Come on." She leaned back a bit, massaging his shoulders as he continued to stare at the desk before him. Continuing to put off getting out of his seat but turning to look at her soft brown eyes on him, he sighed again and stood, pulling on his captain's haori and sliding his large zanpakutou across his back. It was not that the place he was going was physically dangerous...but these days he always carried it with him. He learnt from the past. These days all shinigami carried their zanpakutou everywhere they went.

It was raining heavily as they made their way through the Seireitei to the Field of Eternal Rest, the burial ground where prominent members of Soul Society were laid to rest. It was mainly nobles but senior officers were also laid to rest in the vast open field. The two made their way between a number of lavish tombstones until they came to a simple black marble headstone with a single name etched on the surface in golden writing; Asuka Mikihara.

The two captains stood there looking down at it, reflecting in silence, neither wanting to speak. Kirio leaned against him, resting her head against his chest, each offering a small measure of comfort to each other as they thought back over their former comrade. Asuka Mikihara, the former 9th Division captain, former war veteran and expert user of kidou. More than that...she'd been a mother, a dear friend and comrade. She'd always balanced out the stern impassiveness of Ginrei Kuchiki and been the only one to play along with Shunsui when all the other females smacked him flying. Her loss had affected them all deeply...though Shiro the most. He had been to blame for her death, after all.

It had been four years now. A tsujigiri had been on the loose, a man who killed for the simple want to try out a new sword or technique. At first, only random shinigami had been murdered, their bodies found sliced through by a blade sharp enough to cleave through flesh with a seamless cut. A seated officer, then Yamamoto's lieutenant had been discovered at the Seireitei North gate. The killer had been getting more ambitious and daring and the Captain-Commander had ordered Shiro to track the murderer down immediately. The natural assumption was the next target was a captain and it was imperative this was stopped before it reached that point. The Gotei 13 had gradually begun to close up, securing itself and preparing for an assassin. But none of them had foreseen 'former' captains being targeted as well. It had been mostly coincidence that he had been heading to visit the Mikihara estate to check in on his comrade.

He'd arrived to find the gates kicked in, the door guards eviscerated by a flawless blade. Charging inside, Shiro had made his way into the courtyard just in time to see a figure driving his blade into an unarmed Asuka Mikihara. A white haori whipped around the other man's form, the symbol of the 3rd Division emblazoned upon it. An icy thrill gripped his heart as he saw her fall. Surging forward, Shiro reached them in a flash, his fist lashing out and crashing into the tsujigiri, crushing through his ribs and hurling him flying. A small girl stood there in shock as he appeared by her side. Looking down at the bleeding woman at their feet, he could see she was fading fast and a cold fury came over him, his hand resting on her wound as he knelt by her side. It was lethal... She wouldn't survive.

The recently appointed captain of the 3rd Division, Tatsuya Akari, staggered to his feet, grinning evilly as he looked at Shiro, running a tongue along the bloodied zanpakutou. He gestured for him to attack, raising his weapon. "Come on, Matsumura... Let me test my blade against you. It seems Captain Mikihara wasn't quite as much of a challenge as I'd hoped..."

Shiro's hands tightened into fists as he rose. He didn't speak as he turned to face the traitor captain, walking towards him with haste. Akari grinned wider, drawing back his blade and preparing to swing as soon as Shiro came within range. And then suddenly Shiro was behind him. "Your sword is fast...but you are...nothing in comparison to me."

"Wha...?" Akari attempted to speak but then his blade came apart...then his body, falling to two even halves, blood pooling out around the body parts. Turning on the spot, Shiro released his grip on his zanpakutou then marched over to where Asuka was, moving the girl aside, pulling his haori off and easing her gently up to tie it around her wound. The former captain's lips moved and he leaned in closer as she reached forward, pulling him close. "Shiro...kun? Nice timing..." She'd tried to give him her typical smile but her body shook with bloody coughs and he held her closer. "Shiro-kun...I need you to look after Rei, my daughter. When I'm gone...I need someone to take care of her and...you're the one I trust the most. I know you're not...exactly the most qualified for looking after a young girl but please? Promise me?"

"I promise." He'd held her hand as he'd said those words, looked her in the eyes as he made the promise...and then the day had come when she'd disappeared from her father's house, along with her father when he'd come to stop by to see how she was. Since then, he'd been searching for Rei Mikihara, as the last oath he'd made towards his former friend as she died before him. Standing now at her grave on the anniversary of her death reminded him of the full significance of his duty towards her.

"Captain? And Captain Hikifune." The two turned to find a shihakushou-clad female, carrying a parasol to keep the rain off her face. The lieutenant's badge for the 10th Division hung from her sash, next to her zanpakutou; Shiro's lieutenant, Mitsuki Fushima. Walking over to them, she halted before her captain, pulling a scroll from inside her uniform and pushing it into his hands. "Captain...I think we might have a lead on where the...person you were looking for might be found these days. Some kind of gladiator arena... Apparently makes teenagers fight to the death. Crowds love it and all...sick bastards."

"Thank you, Mitsuki. I'll look into it myself. Don't bother calling any troops together. This is off the record and I need to deal with this alone." He shook his head as she offered him the parasol but she insisted, pressing it into his hands before retreating a few paces back. "If they're not coming, I am. I'm not letting you do something like this without at least me backing you up." He opened his mouth to tell her she wasn't going anywhere but she hurried off like she always did when he intended to argue with her. The two captains watched her disappear around the corner. At his side, pressed close to stay under the small shelter provided by the parasol, Kirio shook her head. "She's just like Asuka when she was younger..."

"Yeah..."

"You're going to check that place out tonight?"

Shiro shook his head, sighing heavily and glancing up at the pouring skies. "No... Yama-jii has me assigned to an interrogation session with some Quincy rebels who have turned up. I'll go in tomorrow to check it out."

"Alright, Shiro-kun. Good luck and take care." Leaning up, she kissed him on the cheek before hurrying off back towards her own division compound, her voice calling back through the rain as she disappeared. "I expect to see you bringing Asuka's daughter back by tomorrow night."

--

Her vision swam as she crawled her way back to reality. Her slave's rag hung loosely off her body, flapping open where the thin fabric had given way. A groan emerged from her parched lips. She felt warmth across her back, wincing visibly as the open wounds stung. Rei's eyes flickered open to find herself looking at another teenage girl, one arm clutching a bowl of warm water, the other wiping her body down with a towel. It was a reassuring face she knew, another slave girl called Kaoru Ishino.

"Are you alright, Rei-san? It doesn't hurt too much, does it?" Rei shook her head, letting the soft-spoken girl continue to clean her wounds before ripping up strips of cloth to bind them. Of the other slaves who were kept in her area, Kaoru was the only one that had ever given a damn about her, using the little knowledge she had in medicine to treat her countless injuries, both from combat and from punishment. In the darkness of the holding cells, Kaoru was the only other one she could cling to, holding together the thin threads of her sanity when they were being tested to their limits by so many trials.

"It...hurts..." Rei winced again, closing her eyes and letting the other girl do her 'job'. Outside, she could hear the chirping of the evening birds returning to their nests to settle down for the night, cool wind blowing gently in through the narrow barred windows at the top of her cell. So she'd been unconscious for the whole day. They must've gone lightly on her today then. After the first hundred lashes, she'd faded out enough to stop feeling them. The damp cloth ran over a particularly deeper cut and she let out a faint cry, which she just managed to clamp down on.

"Sorry, Rei-san." The sound of Kaoru's voice moved in front of her and she opened her eyes to find the other slave girl there. She seemed to be avoiding her eyes as she wiped more dried blood off her shoulders. On the pretence of leaning forward to reach another spot, her lips barely moving as she whispered in Rei's ear. "The plan is set for tomorrow tonight. Reiko has made all the preparations to get us all out of here. Someone will come to get you when it's time and then we'll make our way to the south side entrance to escape. Understand?"

Rei's eyes widened. _Tomorrow night…? I can…leave this place?_ The past memories of life before being thrown into this hellhole seemed so distant and her waking dreams of finally escaping kept being crushed by her own cynicism, the negative part of her mind that had gradually grown the longer she'd spent in this place making any such plan seem futile. But now the day had come, she felt new life in her limbs as a surge of adrenaline spread throughout her body. "Tomorrow night…?"

"Yes. But keep it down. We don't want any of the guards overhearing." Kaoru put a finger to her lips, offering her faint smile. Despite herself, Rei felt the corners of her lips flicker. _Smiling…?_ That was something she had not done for a long time now. She nodded once to the other slave girl as the latter started collecting her things together, heading for the door. A guard opened it and she stepped through, pausing on the threshold to look back at Rei, winking at her behind the guard's back.

Rei averted her eyes, her long dark hair concealing her face from the armed man to hide her smile. That caught her by surprise. Well…not long now… On the next night she'd breathe the clear air of freedom and not have to live under the foot of some slave master. She could sleep without fear of being beaten or treated like an animal. Not long to wait now. With that thought in mind, she closed her eyes again, letting herself drift off, for once finding peace as she slept. She needed to be ready for tomorrow. She had a feeling that it would be no simple feat to escape from this place…


	3. Flight from Darkness

"Get up! It's time for morning training and there's a potential buyer interested in seeing you perform today!" Rei's eyes opened to find daylight streaming in through her cell's window. Morning…on the day of the escape. She had to fight hard not to let any of the excitement reach her face as Shoka opened the door, moving over to her and unlocking the manacles that held her up. He let her drop to the floor and then tossed her usual bundle at her feet. A few moments later, she was stepping out into the arena and the bright sun, clad in her shihakushou and wearing her daichou at her side. The sounds of clashing blades were already to be heard as the several gladiators owned by their master fought back and forth in the morning sun.

Rei hadn't seen her new owner that often. The only time she'd met him close up was the day he'd come to purchase her from her home. After the many other things she'd experienced since then, her memories of him had become faint and distant though the few distinctive facts were that he had been a shinigami of the Gotei 13…and he'd been a scary man. Just standing near him had made her shiver and need to run and hide. It was just another thing that made her fearful of trying to escape…what would happen when their owner caught her. Whatever harm Shoka and his guys had done to her, she had a feeling it would be nothing in comparison to what would happen to her when that man came after her.

The slaves were clustered around a pair of fighters. Between the heads and shoulders of the gladiators, she made out the figure of Reiko Hayashi. Among the slave fighters, he was meant to be the best, a strong figure whom the others looked up to. Even Rei felt some...connection to him as he extended a hand of assistance to her from day to day. She'd drawn in on herself and refused to open up to him but she'd acknowledged it was there. Another one who'd noticed her, thought of her as more than just an object to be bought, sold or used. As Rei watched the dark haired young man fight, she noticed something odd. The look on his face, the wild nature of his defense...he was losing.

Pushing her way through the ring to stand on the edge of the fight, she found the figure of someone else familiar who she hadn't expected to see either. Long dark hair whipped around as dark, cold eyes flickered from focusing on Reiko to her face, recognition flashing in them. _That girl..._ The one she'd spared the other day. As if spurred on by this, the girl slashed wide with greater force than before. Reiko's posture reflected his surprise as a heavy blow threw him back. Then another and another, both the girl's blades slashing away at his guard, cutting deep notches into his katana. Then it was ripped from his hands and a return stroke opened up his chest, dropping him to the ground in a bloody mess. The girl's eyes once again flashed to Rei as she inverted her katana, raising it over her head and stabbing it down for his chest. _No...!_

Blood splashed across the sand. Rei looked up from beneath her bare forearm where the girl's katana had cut across the skin, the blood dripping from the blade above her head where she'd redirected the attack. Rei's hand snapped out, closing like a vice around the other girl's wrist, pushing the blade away from her, eyes locked with the other's. Behind her, she could hear the shallow breathing of Reiko. So he was still alive. She needed him to help get her out of this place. She spoke through gritted teeth, addressing the enemy facing her. "Don't..."

"Oh dear... If you don't mind, I have business to finish with that boy. Unlike some people, I intend to finish my fights properly. Though it seems you're not going to stand aside. I hope you're not going to make this as difficult as last time."

The girl grinned. Her second blade flashed upwards but it stopped dead, caught by Rei's katana, suddenly in her hand. Rei's wakazashi lashed out in her other hand, opening a line across the girl's stomach. That didn't erase the grin on her face, taunting and malicious. She stepped back from Rei, taking a stance. The other gladiators backed up, leaving them even more room to fight in, afraid to step into the range of their blades. Rei raised her own weapons, katana held before her and aimed towards the girl's heart, wakazashi behind, poised to slash down when the opportunity presented itself.

If this girl was trying to ruin her way out...she'd die. She'd been merciful once. It'd been the choice between letting a defeated opponent to live or die with no further consequences for her. But while this girl was trying to kill Reiko, the man who could get her out of this place, she wouldn't allow it. _Freedom is too close..._

Rei attacked first this time, katana stabbing forward, anticipating the parry and immediately rotating on the spot and rolling into the girl's katana reach and slashing to open up her stomach. Without warning, a foot kicked into the back of her knee, dropping her as a blade cut for her neck. She flipped backwards, letting it cut over her nose, a few strands of hair that were too slow in following her head down fluttering away in the wind. Even as she landed, a sandaled foot was driven into her stomach, throwing her backwards. Crashing down in a cloud of dust, Rei rolled aside as a katana was driven into the sand where she'd been a moment before, a rolling kick hurling her aside again as the girl landed before her.

"Shit...bitch." Rei snarled as she came up to her feet, raising her wakazashi in time to stop a decapitating strike, punching her katana forward in a furious stab for the girl lunging after her. She slashed upwards with both blades again, throwing her back and then unleashed blow after blow that rang around the arena like heavy hammer falls. A blade opened up her cheek, blood splashing out again across her shihakusho but she ignored it as she drove onwards, slashing wildly in a web of metal.

"Not this time. Going to have to do better than that." The girl grinned still wider as her twin blades cut wide, knocking Rei's attacks aside and driving her blade for her gut. Rei raised her wakazashi to intercept but the tip of the approaching blade slipped around her guard and buried into her gut. She threw herself back to minimise the damage but blood began to run freely from the wound, soaking her left hand as she dropped her wakazashi and clutched at her side. A fist to the face and her vision swam, a following slash spinning her away. Rei collapsed in a heap, still clinging to her katana as she struggled to rise.

_I can't...lose..._ Her vision was blurring, burning with a red tinge as she looked up through her sweat-soaked fringe at the advancing girl. Her hand closed on her katana and she dived forward, slashing for her, faster than before with more force behind the blade. It was parried as she slashed again and again, left then right with hammer-like blows. She snarled, teeth bared as she kept on going, hacking away, broken metal shards flying off the girl's blades as she blocked each attack as they came. The wind seemed to suddenly roar in her ears as she raised her katana over her head, letting out a scream of rage as she cut downwards, both hands cutting down to bisect the girl's head in two.

Then the girl was no longer there, hammering a kick into her stomach as she reappeared at her left side, an upper cut with the katana opening another bloody line across her chest, flipping her away, Rei's last second attempt to evade stopping her from spilling her guts all over the arena floor. Rei lashed out on instinct but the girl leapt, twisting in the air and landing behind her. She whipped around, katana at neck height but the girl stopped her arm with a kick to her wrist, then the heel of her palm driven under chin, hurling her backwards. She rolled onto her front, starting to push herself onto all fours but another blunt blow across her spine dropped her back down. Rei kept a grip on her blade, snarling into the sand. "Bitch..."

A foot stamped down on her hand, bone cracking. Her hand opened and the katana kicked away. A sandaled foot was pressed on her face, pushing it into the dirt. She was blacking out. "Who...are you?"

"Yugito Kosaka. Your replacement." Then the girl stabbed downwards, aiming to bury her katana through Rei's spine.

Then the blade stopped, pinched between the fingers of a black-clad figure. Rei found herself looking up at the dark hakama of the man identified as a shinigami who was often hanging around. Yugito looked around, eyes widening in surprise even as she drew back her wakazashi. In the blink of an eye, she was flying away, struck by an impossibly fast fist that hurled her bodily backwards to collapse several metres away. The man's fist gripped the front of Rei's shihakushou, holding her suspended in the air as he inspected her. She could feel his scrutiny through her half-daze, feeling the urge to attack him too but some kind of pressure holding her paralyzed in his grip. Sweat ran down her brow, her palms becoming clammy in her gauntlets.

"Yes...this one will do too. Tell your master we'll purchase these two after the final test. For now, take them to the infirmary and get them patched up. My master will not be pleased if they die before we can purchase them."

--

"So you're awake then...?"

Rei blinked groggily, struggling back to consciousness at the sound of the unknown voice. Her shoulders were bare, her shihakushou removed though bandages were wrapped around her torso and arms where her injuries had been patched up to a far better degree than Kaoru had ever managed. They were giving her better treatment, maybe in preparation of selling her off. It didn't matter... One master was as bad as another and she was not going to remain a slave any longer. She shook her head, trying to clear her vision to find herself in one of the other chambers usually reserved for the slavers, not the slaves, more sanitary and some measure of comfort. She pulled herself upright, which was difficult to do with her wrists chained to her bed to stop her running off. Sighing, she slumped back in her bed. "Yes..."

"Well that's a good thing. Apparently they want to purchase us as a package deal so if you died, well then..." She definitely recognised that voice. The black form before her resolved into the figure of Yugito Kosaka, the girl who'd put her in this place, sitting upright in another bed, also chained down. The malicious grin on her face was gone, replaced with a more cheerful and passive expression. Somehow, Rei couldn't see it as a trick and couldn't feel the killing urge she'd had before while fighting in the arena.

Rei frowned, staring up to at the ceiling. "You know...you're a lot of less of a bitch suddenly. What's changed?"

"I'm not really that bad. It's mostly for show. Back at my owner...my _'previous_' owner's place, you had to be the most vicious bitch in all of Soul Society to survive. Kill those who fight you or they'll come back to try again until you die. That's how it always was. I'd seen plenty of people be killed because they were too stupid or '_merciful' _and allowed people they'd crossed swords with to crawl away…who then return to stab them in the back when they least expected it. So why the hell did you do it? I doubt it's any different in this sort of place. Why'd you let me live when it would've been far safer to take me out when you had the chance?"

She considered this, thinking hard. It forced her to think back. "I wasn't always in this place...I can remember my life before being forced into this slavery. And I can remember my mother. She was a warrior but she raised me to know mercy and compassion for others...and I know she'd disapprove of me striking down someone I'd already defeated. Even if I had to fight them again later...well then that'll come then." A slight smile appeared on the corner of her lips, looking over at the other girl.

"You're a strange girl, Rei Mikihara..." Yugito gave a sigh of her own, lying back and closing her eyes. "You know...I heard in passing about a certain possible break out tonight. You wouldn't know anything about that, would you? If we had something like that, I reckon we'd need to conserve our energy before that time. And yes, I did say 'we'. I too have been a slave for far too long and if there's a chance to get out of here, I'm taking it. If I'd known that boy was key to the escape plan, I probably wouldn't have accepted his challenge this morning."

"Heh...fine. Alright... Let's just get some rest for the escape that might happen tonight... We're all getting out of here and that's that."

--

Several hours after they'd drifted off in the infirmary, they'd been taken back to the cells. She'd only been vaguely conscious as a guard tossed her onto her bunk, slamming the cell door shut. Opposite her, Yugito was thrown down in her own cell. Through the darkness, Rei could see the other girl's eyes gleam. So she wasn't sleeping either... Another hour passed…then another, as they waited patiently for the first sign of something happening. Then there was movement.

"It's time." She already knew. She'd already been staring out into the dark the whole time to prepare her night vision. Through the gloom, she'd seen the figure of Reiko emerge behind the guard outside her cell. His arm had wrapped around the guard's neck, driving an elbow into the top of his spine and dropping him unconscious. Pulling a ring of keys off the man's belt, Reiko unlocked the cell door and tossed her a bundle. Unwrapping it, she found her blades. They were comfortable in her hands as she slid her daichou into her sash. They were the final comfort she needed to feel confident enough to step out of her cell.

Yugito jogged over to her, sliding her own daichou into a sash at her side. It seemed strange to consider that earlier that day, they'd been about to kill each other...and now were allies in the same cause of escaping this hell hole. Reiko hadn't even given an indication that he felt any sort of hostility towards the girl, despite the fact she'd almost cut him apart. The clap on Rei's back as the other girl came to stand alongside her was more encouraging than anything.

Another door guard lay across the floor and Rei hopped over the body, coming out into the main circular corridor that all the cell chambers led to. The other gladiators waited outside, a dozen or so armed boys. Together with them, the slave girls, who'd been forced into the other half of services young females could provide, were also present, clutching at makeshift weapons; kitchen knives or wooden clubs. Kaoru was at the front of them, wielding a short staff that looked like it'd been taken from a bedpost. She waved in greeting to Rei as she joined the group. There were many of them now. They had to move fast before they were detected.

Reiko moved at the head of the group, leading them through the dark winding corridors. They seemed silent, the many of the guards mysteriously absent from their posts. The few they met attempted to make for alarms before they were cut down by blades honed within these very walls. Despite the suspicion this raised, it didn't leave them with many options. They still had to continue on with their route out; through the main battle arena and out the rear gate. Rei ran alongside their leader, left hand gripping her daichou at her side, ready to draw a blade if she needed. Yugito mirrored her position as they kept pressing onwards, taking a last left and then bursting out into the night sky and the chilly wind.

The sand crunched softly beneath her feet as she walked out into the middle of the arena, looking around. The stands were all empty where previously hundreds of screaming fans had called for her spill Yugito's blood, where she'd been forced to kill over and over again to the applause of the crowds. If she closed her eyes, she could see them there. _Scum...all of them gaining pleasure from teenagers slaughtering each other._ Her hand turned into a fist. _Bastards..._

"We're almost there! I can taste the freedom!" The barely suppressed outburst of one of the gladiators made her flinch, snapping her back to the present. She whipped around to see one of the boys breaking off, dashing for the rear entrance at full speed. Maybe it was her imagination but the gate seemed to be swinging open. Minimal guards and now they didn't even have to break it down or pick the lock. It was too easy... There was movement in the shadows. Her eyes tracked the flicker before widening as she opened her mouth to call after him. "Stop, you idiot! Sto..."

The boy half turned, a confused expression on his face for a moment as he looked back at her. Then half his face disappeared as an axe carved through his skull, splattering the walls with blood and gore. Stepping into the light, Kyo Kazama reached down and cleaned the axehead on the dead boy's clothes, grinning widely as he raised a hand in a signal. In one instant, the entire arena lit up, burning braziers exploding to life all along the walls and revealing rows upon rows of guards, several dozen assembled, leering down at them with bared weapons and wearing leather armour.

"What the...hell?"

Curses and swearing erupted from the small group of teenagers as they formed a circle, gladiators on the outside and more vulnerable ones guarded in the centre. On all sides, the guards drew closer. Rei could feel her heart racing, a cold sweat running down the side of her face. She could hear crying from the younger girls, Kaoru among them. Yugito seemed to be muttering a string of curses in a chant as she drew her two blades, running them against each other. Reiko sounded like he was trying to organise some semblance of order among the group but his words were falling on deaf ears. Rei's right hand drifted across to her katana. _So this was it... Their great chance of an escape would just end in another slaughter..._

There was stillness in the night as both sides tensed for some unannounced moment...before the guards charged. The rumbling of so many feet made a roar like thunder in her ears. In a solid wave of blades and flesh, the two forces struck, blood spraying and body parts flying within seconds. Rei's vision seemed to blur, bleeding red as her katana cleared its sheath and beheading the first man to come within range of her blade, warm liquid splattering across her face.

_Screaming... Dying..._ Rei barely knew what was happening as she bounded across the arena grounds, katana burying in another man's chest, ripping it free and then stabbing another through the chest with her second blade. Blood continued to fly, her blades cutting left and right, bodies spinning away from her, leather armour, flesh and bone failing to slow her attacks. No matter how many men came at her, she killed them. Faces flashed before her eyes, expressions of pain burning into her mind before they disappeared again, cut in half by her katana or wakazashi. The latter disappeared shortly after, buried in a man's chest and ripped out of her hand by the body's weight.

Then one more face appeared before her and it didn't go away. It was the shinigami again, looking down at her with cold eyes. Almost immediately, she felt her legs start to give way, dropping her down to her knees, holding herself up by her reversed katana stabbed into the ground. She tried to rise but some strange force kept her down, holding her there. _What is this...? What's he doing to me...?_

_I won't...let him win..._ Her fist gripped tighter on the hilt of her katana, her arm quivering. _Move... Move...! _She grit her teeth, glaring at the man before her, looking down at her. The tip of her blade came loose. _Almost...now! _With a scream, her katana flashed in the moonlight, cleaving through the air for the man's face but her weapon cut through nothing...an after image. He was suddenly behind her. She whipped around, katana raised only to have her arm slapped away and then she was kicked backwards. The shinigami drew the blade at his side, walking closer and placing the tip at her throat. "Interesting...I can see why the boss was interested in purchasing you."

"And it's interesting what you're even doing here, Lieutenant Kurota... My captain said you were a sly bastard but I didn't see this. Disappointing..." The man's eyes widened and Rei saw a blade appear at his throat. Tilting her head to the side, she looked around to see another figure clad in black. A pretty woman with a cool expression on her face as she regarded the man who'd held her down with the force of his mind. Then suddenly a force far greater than even the man's presence exploded across the arena and Rei felt the life drain out of her limbs as she slumped unconscious to the ground.


	4. Liberation

"Ugh…" Rei's vision blurred as she came to a few moments later, her blackout cut short to reveal the black-clad man and woman still standing in the same positions, the woman holding her katana at the former's neck. She started to sidestep, moving around to get closer to where Rei lay. Was she an…ally?

Then suddenly, the woman's head whipped around to face just behind her, eyes widening slightly in surprise as a blade suddenly appeared at Rei's neck, fingers pressing in a practiced manner over her windpipe. The man identified as Kurota had vanished, his breath now hot on her neck as he dragged her upright. Rei tried to struggle free but she felt paralysed, unable to move her limbs as he raised his blade to point at the woman while keeping his hand around her throat. "Lieutenant Mitsuki Fushima...I figure this girl is important to you somehow. Throw aside your zanpakutou or this girl's going to learn how to survive without oxygen."

"You're a bastard..." Mitsuki glared at her, eyes narrowed in a killing stare. Her katana stayed gripped in her fist, aimed towards the man. The point was unwaveringly directed for his heart.

"Do it now, Lieutenant. You know I'll do it..."

She growled...then she moved her sword arm out to the side and her fingers opened, letting it fall point first into the ground. She held her arms out to her side, hands open. Rei could feel, almost visualise the smirk on the man's face as he gripped her and threw her aside as he charged towards the woman, Mitsuki, blade cleaving through the air.

_No...! _Rei's mouth opened in a silent scream as she saw the man charge towards Mitsuki in slow motion, covering the distance as he drew back his sword arm, aiming to stab it through her heart. Her vision flashed, two different scenes overlapping in her mind, one in the present as Kurota surged forward to kill the unarmed woman...and one in the past as an unnamed captain raised his sword to cut down her mother, the latter keeping her eyes on Rei and a smile on her lips even as blood ran from the corners of her mouth, collapsing to the ground.

_Mother..._

The blade stabbed forward, driving towards her chest...and then Mitsuki moved, a blur of action as her hands came up, twisting her body aside as the katana flashed past her. Her right arm shot out, seizing his wrist and slamming a chop into the side of his neck. Turning further, she tugged him across, left leg cutting across his ankles to trip Kurota, flipping him over and slamming him down into the dirt. A slide of her foot with a flick and her katana leapt from the ground into her fist with a slap.

"Time to die, you sick bastard."

"Bitch...what do you think you're even doing here?" Kurota rolled to his feet, holding his blade before him while rubbing his neck where she'd struck him. "This whole thing has nothing to do with you. There are no laws governing the Rukongai against owning slaves. They were someone's property and he's bought them. You'd raise a hand against another member of the Gotei 13 over people with no worth other than what a noble has paid for them."

"And you're working for a noble like that? I didn't think you could stoop so low..." Mitsuki backed up, coming alongside Rei, glancing momentarily backwards at her, meeting her gaze. Rei saw a flicker in those eyes, the momentary coldness wavering with warmth before Mitsuki returned her stare at the other man. "I came here because my captain wanted me to help find this girl...but now that I see what's going on here, I have to put an end to it. If that means I have to fight you then so be it."

With a snarl, he hurled himself at her, blade swinging but she parried it aside, her hands becoming a furious web of metal as she blocked an onslaught, sparks flying without yielding ground. Mitsuki twisted aside, hammering the hilt of her blade into the man's chin, causing him to stumble even as she leapt high to kick him away. She raised her katana in a stance to drive it into his chest as he rolled up but an explosion from the observation post over the main arena gates drew everyone's attention as a figure wearing a white haori flew from the new opening in the wall, tumbling and crashing down in a heap in the middle of the arena.

All the fighting froze, many collapsing straight out as a sudden pressure bore down on them all. Rei looked from the figure struggling to rise to the darkness of the observation post as someone else emerged from out of the shadows. A white haori whipped around over a black shihakusho. A heavy two-handed sword was clenched in his fist as he descended to the arena floor, landing lightly and keeping it held ready as he advanced towards the other haori-clad man. A dark strip of cloth covered his eyes as he inclined his head slightly, his blank gaze falling on her. _Him…The captain, Shiro Matsumura…_

The other man was trying to rise but a heavy foot came down, stamping him back his hand and kicking him in the face, sending him rolling away. Shiro stabbed his sword down next to the other captain's head, holding him down with a foot on his back. He looked over at the lieutenant. "Mitsuki... That's her. Is she alright?"

"Yes, that's her, cousin Shiro."

Everyone whipped around, Shiro included, turning to see one last man appear in the main gateway. Dark robes billowed around him as he walked closer towards the group. He appeared unarmed as he drew near. Rei's eyes narrowed, focusing on his face. He bore similar resemblance to Shiro. Were they related...?

"Itachi... So you're the bastard who's been running this thing. Why does that not surprise me...?"

Rei looked from one to the other. They knew each other then. She struggled to try and get to her feet but some kind of invisible force seemed to hold her down, making her limbs heavier than they should be. Sweat ran from her brow, a contrast to the freezing air that suddenly swirled around her as the captain moved closer to her, cutting the man, Itachi, off from reaching her.

"And you, Shiro Matsumura, the heroic captain of the Gotei 13 coming to liberate the helpless slaves from their evil master... Disgraceful, one of noble birth giving a damn about such filth." The man shook his head as he marched forward, entering into the arena. "Even as an exile from the clan, you ruin our reputation with your acts and more than that...theft from a noble will not be tolerated. And these slaves belong to me."

A pause...then Shiro smirked. "Damn, Itachi...the way you say that like I'm meant to give a shit... Now...are you going to try and stop me or not?" Another pause. Itachi didn't make a move. Shiro spat on the floor. "That's what I thought."

"Mitsuki..." Pulling his sword free, Shiro spun it and sheathed it across his back, walking over to where the woman stood, ignoring the other man, Kuroda. The latter made as if to raise his katana but Shiro glared at him and he dropped to one knee, weapon slipping from his hand as an invisible pressure bore down on him. The woman sheathed her weapon and stood to attention as he came to a halt before Rei. She looked up and found him gazing down to where she was propped up on one knee. Despite herself, she didn't feel fear as he addressed her, holding a hand out to her.

"Are you alright, Rei?"

_Rei..._ The way he said her name brought back those memories, when he'd come to visit her mother before the two captains had departed on an assignment. And after all these times, he'd appeared here, asking her whether she was alright. She took his hand and felt herself pulled gently to her feet. She opened her mouth to reply but no words came out. Shiro gave her a slight smile, as he turned away, signaling to the woman next to them.

"Mitsuki. Gather the surviving slaves together. We're getting the hell out of here now. And look after Rei especially."

"Yes sir." Mitsuki turned to her but the anger and killing look on her face had vanished and it was with gentle eyes that the woman regarded her, placing a hand on her shoulder and shaking her slightly to get her to focus. Rei nodded and started to move towards the main entrance. One by one, the slaves still alive began to emerge from the crowds of guards. None of the latter dared try and stop them. Looking around, Rei caught sight of Yugito being supported by Reiko and Kaoru, with innumerable injuries and covered in more blood than the rest of them put together.

As they drew nearer, the girl looked up, meeting her eye and offered a slight grin. "Seems we're getting out of here after all. I thought when all those guards turned up we were screwed but luckily you have some powerful friend there."

Rei didn't know what to say to that, both because she was still trying to come to terms with what had just happened and that they were all still alive. With Mitsuki at her side, she fumbled to sheath her blood-soaked blades at her side before walking. But standing in their path was the man, Itachi.

Ten metres…one metre… He was right in front of them…and then they were past him, the woman pushing Rei gently onwards to stop her from freezing in front of the man and forcefully not looking him in the face. But Rei had…and the gleam in his eyes as he'd met her gaze had her shiver. If not for Mitsuki's assistance, she didn't know if she could have forced her legs to work and move her past him. She couldn't identify what it was, just that everything about him made her senses scream to be cautious of him.

Last to come was Shiro. Looking back over her shoulder, she saw him halt next to Itachi. Their voices carried to her ears, even though their lips seemed to move in only whispers.

"Enjoy your victory for now, Shiro. But you should know by now…she belongs to me already."

"Whatever you say, Itachi… You can see me being so afraid of whatever you have in store already." The captain sounded sarcastic but Rei caught the hint of something else in his voice, the slight timbre that lacked the confidence in his words.

Itachi seemed to have picked up on this too, a smirk coming to his lips as he looked at Rei. She flinched even as Shiro moved to obscure her from view again. Even so, the man's voice carried over, past the captain. "I know that, of course. You couldn't protect Asuka Mikihara and you won't be able to protect her daughter. Just wait…soon I'll get my hands on her and then…"

A gasp escaped Rei's lips and Mitsuki's grip tightened on her shoulder. Shiro's fist closed on the hilt of the heavy sword across his back. The smile didn't leave Itachi's face as the blade flashed, cleaving him in half, blood spraying in all directions as the captain stepped back, letting the body parts fall apart and sheathing his blade again.

He sighed as he walked up to her and Mitsuki. "Right…it's time to go home, Rei. Let's go."

And with that, they departed, stepping out through the gates and vanishing into the night, leaving her hell and prison behind in the darkness.

--

Two days later…

"So how is Rei settling into her new home?"

Shiro paused to think for a moment as Kirio rested her head against his chest again. They lay on his bed in his private living quarters afforded by virtue of being a captain of the Gotei 13. Still…some things didn't change. Like Kirio having to sneak in rather than just walk in the front door. If word got around that Captain Hikifune of the 12th Division was visiting Captain Shiro Matsumura of the 10th Division at night time, they'd be faced with the annoyance of every imbecile who lived off the gossip of the senior officers, mostly the shinigami belonging to the female shinigami association.

"She's settling in…slowly. After what she's been through, it'd be hard for her to settle in anywhere but I suppose this place is better than any other. At least many of her…'friends' from inside that place were accepted along with her. Maybe they'll help get each other to adjust to being back out of captivity."

"Poor girl…" Kirio gave a sigh, closing her eyes. "How could those bastards do that to her? To any of them? They're nearly all teenagers… How could their parents do that to them? You say Asuka's husband sold Rei to the slavers?"

"Well unfortunately, that's the way of Soul Society these days. People with any power only give a damn about what's going on in the Seireitei. Beyond its walls; the Rukongai and everything, they couldn't give a shit if people are being bought or sold to be used for entertainment like that. And when there's no one to stop them, of course people like that can do whatever they like. Humans really can be worse than Hollows in that way… At least humans have the capacity to choose not to inflict such pain on those around them."

"Yeah… You know…" Kirio paused, suddenly tense. Shiro could sense it too, people approaching, three of them. She looked back at him and he sighed heavily, sliding from the bed and reaching to pick up his discarded haori. "Damn…if it's those three then it's time to finally deal with that mess. Better get changed quick, Kirio-chan."

She nodded, pulling on her uwagi, covering over her smooth pale back, securing it as she reached for the rest of her clothing. Shiro straightened his hakama, pulling on his haori over the top of it. A few moments later and they were both fully dressed, just as the sound of footsteps could be heard from the corridor leading up to his room. He heard Mitsuki say something to try and hold them up but she fell silent a moment later.

"I'll catch you at the meeting in a few minutes, Shiro-kun. Good luck." Kirio kissed him on the lips before grabbing her zanpakutou and katana leaning against the wall and leaping out the window, disappearing into the still-dark dawn. Shiro moved to stand by the door just as there was a knock and it opened to admit three figures, each wearing the haori of a captain.

"Damn…I knew we should have walked faster, Juushirou-kun. I could've sworn I sensed Kirio-chan in here a moment ago." The captain of the 8th Division, Shunsui Kyouraku peered around the room, seemingly more interested in finding the missing woman rather than his task at hand.

"If you hadn't stopped to harass Shir…Captain Matsumura's lieutenant, we'd have been here sooner." Juushirou Ukitake, captain of the 13th Division shook his head, moving inside to make room for the final member of their group, a far more reserved and grim-faced figure, arms folded and long white scarf billowing out behind him as he entered.

"Shiro Matsumura. We're here to escort you to an urgent meeting in the 1st Division headquarters. Your presence is imperative." Ginrei Kuchiki, captain of the 6th Division spoke in his usual heavy, grave tone, regarding Shiro for a moment before turning and walking off, slow enough that they could catch up, as was expected of them. "We should make haste. The other captains are being assembled now. We shouldn't keep them waiting."

"Hey...sorry about this, Shiro-kun." Juushirou looked apologetic as he regarded Shiro. "But you know the standard policy. If a captain ends up causing trouble, two or three others have to come and make sure he doesn't run off. Not that Yamamoto expected you to run but...like I said, policy."

"Yeah...and you seemed to have caused quite a bit of trouble on your day off. You should've spent some quality time back in the Seireitei with Kirio-chan. Though..." Shunsui paced around the room, inspecting it. Shiro frowned at him and he returned with a grin. "...she may not be here, but I have a feeling you just got treated to a demonstration of how she's an expert at handling more than just blades."

"Oh shut up... Let's just go." Securing his zanpakutou across his back, Shiro marched from the room, the other two captains following closely behind as they headed off for the 1st Division and the awaiting meeting.

--

All the captains were present by the time they'd arrived, Ginrei, Juushirou and Shunsui moving to take their places in the two lines. Shiro remained standing in the middle, awaiting a sign to do otherwise from the Captain-Commander Yamamoto. While waiting, he looked from face to face of the assembled captains. Kirio offered him a grin and a subtle wink while Kenpachi Harashi of the 11th Division pretended to be disinterested with the whole situation though from long association he knew he was listening intently.

Takeharu Shihouen of the 2nd Division was his usual reserved self, ignoring everything going on and standing around grimly just waiting for everything to start. Hitoshi Kitade of the 5th Division and Kotaru Tenji of the 7th Division were having their usual staring game, the former classmates competing over every little thing they could.

And Captain Retsu Unohana of the 4th Division was looking displeased. To the uninformed observer, she looked just as serene and calm as always but the slightest of creases on her brow told Shiro otherwise. His sensei was going to have words with him afterwards and she was very scary when something went wrong such as now.

Captain Kaji Omaeda of the 3rd Division was not there, most likely still recovering from the beating Shiro had enacted on him for his part in the slave ring. That whole clan had always been a cause of annoyance to Shiro so taking one of them down personally had been highly satisfying. And then at last it seemed time for Yamamoto to speak.

"Troubling business, Captain Matsumura. While your intentions may have been pure, you know that spilling the nobles' blood is a serious matter and both your clan...your former clan is calling for blood in turn and their support among the Central 46 is strong at present."

Shiro sighed, resisting the urge to say anything, instead nodding once and keeping his gaze on Yamamoto. "And what was your decision, Captain-Commander?"

"Captain Matsumura...among the Gotei 13, you are one of the most respected and valued captains. We are not willing to give you up to satisfy the bloodlust of a few nobles. However...at the same time, we shall have to keep up the pretense of doing something about this. Until further notice, you're to be relieved of your command of the 10th Division and your lieutenant, Mitsuki Fushima is to look after it in your stead. You will be unable to bear your zanpakutou and will be monitored constantly by an officer from another Division."

"Could be worse... Very well, Captain-Commander." Pulling his zanpakutou off his back, he slammed it down before him. Juushirou took it, giving a reassuring nod before moving back to the line with the weapon.

"One last thing, Shiro Matsumura, before you're all dismissed. The Matsumura clan is still adamant that they rightfully paid for the ownership of Rei Mikihara and Yugito Kosaka. As distasteful as it is, we're obliged to return any such owned slaves to their owners."

Shiro thought for a moment before a grin appeared on his lips. "Well I guess my dear former clan is going to find they've just lost out since there are no slaves by the names of Rei Mikihara or Yugito Kosaka."

"...and why is that?" Yamamoto looked surprised for a moment, eyes widening slightly under heavy brows. "Is there something we should know about those two?"

"As of yesterday, Rei Mikihara and Yugito Kosaka were inducted into the shinigami Academy. That makes them official citizens of the Seireitei by law and so cannot be touched by the clan. So you can pass on the message to the Matsumura clan that they can take their demands and shove them up their as..."

"Yes quite." Yamamoto cut him off with a raised hand, suppressing what could be a slight smile under his long moustache. "Very well. That is all. You're all dismissed. And Matsumura...watch your back for the coming days ahead. You never know what might be out there these days."


	5. The Nameless Sword

Sunlight streamed through the open window as Rei's eyes flickered open. Her fingers brushed across soft material, gripping it in her hands. Blinking, she looked down to find clean white sheets covering her body rather than the usual dirty rag she was used to. And the bedding was padded and springy beneath her. For once as she woke up, her body didn't ache from having to sleep on a rough stone floor. Sliding her legs off the bed, she felt smooth wooden floor panels beneath her feet as she walked to the window. Her hands rested on the open window sill as she leaned out, feeling a cool breeze on her face. There were no bars on the windows and no guards patrolling outside, just the chirping of morning birds and the rustle of leaves of the trees out on the lawn. _This is all...real?_

She pinched herself and yelped slightly. _Real..._ Her nightwear rustled around her as she walked over to a nearby chair where her uniform was folded neatly for her. Her black shihakushou, ripped and torn from countless combats, had been replaced. Instead, a white kimono with red stripes down the arms was neatly folded there along with a red hakama, obi and juban. Shrugging off her sleeping clothes, she reached down and pulled the uniform on.

"You're already dressed, Rei-san?"

Rei looked around to find Kaoru standing there next to another bed in the room. The slumped figure of Yugito was lying on the third one, dark hair sprawled around her, hiding her face as she snored gently. That was it... It had been 2 days since the slave group had arrived in this place, led in the middle of the night by Shiro. They'd stayed in a visitors' quarters overnight and early the next morning they'd been brought before a panel of judges to inspect their worth as candidates to join the shinigami academy. Rei had stood there nervously as a group of old people had stared down wrinkly noses at her. Then after what seemed an age had passed, the senior elder had gestured and Shiro had stepped forward. An exchange of words had occurred and then Shiro had walked back over to them.

Heads slumped as he moved down the line, Reiko's included. Rei had begun to sweat. What if they had turned her down too? What would happen to them? Would they be taken back to the slave arena? Or...? Shiro came to stand before her, one hand resting on her shoulder. "Relax, Rei. You're accepted."

And that had been it. Of the twelve slaves who had escaped, only her, Yugito and Kaoru had been accepted. The others had been turned away but Shiro had ensured her that they'd be kept safe. The three girls had been shown their room, their new uniforms and then had been told to rest and wait until the time their training would begin.

Which brought them to now. The three girls were to begin their training today. Kaoru had started to wake Yugito up while Rei waited by the window again, just staring out at their new environment. Some shuffling and a few moments later, the three girls were ready to go, Yugito still yawning and rubbing her eyes. Looking over at Rei, she smiled wearily. "Shall we, Rei-chan?"

"Since when did you start calling me Rei-chan...?"

--

_Do they have to stare…? Or talk behind their hands like that so obviously…?_ Rei walked through the packed corridors, trying to find her first class room. Yugito and Kaoru were close behind, the latter all but clinging to the back of her uniform while the former was trailing a bit behind, hands resting behind her head as she yawned widely, drawing still more stares.

They were still staring at the three girls. Rei dropped her gaze to the map clutched in her hands, doing her best to ignore them. But the harder she tried to close her senses off from them, the clearer their voices became in her ears. They reddened slightly as their words processed in her mind. Their whispers carried louder than if they just screamed in her ears.

As their talking got louder, head still down in her paper, she barely noticed as a group of older students emerged from a side room; several tall males with a few females in tow. She made to swerve and side-step around them but the lead figure matched her and drove directly into her, knocking her bodily into the ground. Kaoru, pressed almost entirely against her was caught in her descent, both of them toppling to the floor.

The corridor erupted in laughter, the people who had previously been attempting and failing to whisper discretely now pointing openly at them. Rolling aside to get off the smaller girl, Rei looked up to find the lead male standing over her, flanked by two of his cronies. He was a tall figure, broadly built and what most girls would call handsome…if his well-defined features weren't curled into a smirk of contempt.

"Well what do we have here? Slaves walking around as if they deserve to even breathe the same air as us? What dropping standards they have here…" The cronies laughed, the females giggling horribly behind them as the leader continued. "You girls should stay down there with the dirt where you belong."

Rei flushed a bit more but kept her eyes down, forcing herself not to reply. She didn't want trouble now, especially on her first day. She helped Kaoru to her feet and then knelt to pick up her dropped map when suddenly a sandaled foot came down on her hand. Her eyes flashed with anger as she looked up again to see the leader sneering at her, daring her to retaliate. Her free left hand balled into a fist, shaking with anger. Then a hand rested on her shoulder and Rei found Yugito standing in front of her.

She was still smiling sweetly as she leaned back…and then drove her head forward to crack into the leader's nose. A loud breaking sound reverberated around the stunned silent corridor as he fell to his knees, clutching at his blood-streaming face. The two boys flanking him came at her but Yugito thrust her hands forward, seizing them both by the balls and squeezing tightly. Their deep cries of pain rose in octave before cutting off as she released them, both dropping to the floor to writhe there, clutching at their nether regions.

"Anyone else got a problem…?" Yugito crackled her knuckles menacingly as the remaining four guys advanced on her. Rei made to back up her…was Yugito her friend now? But even as she braced to attack, a voice filled with authority was raised above the shouting of the surrounding students and everyone froze, a group parting to allow a tall man to approach. It was one of the elders who had overseen their admission a few nights ago. This close up, his stern grey eyes looked even more intimidating, set against his noble features; weathered skin and both deep grey hair and moustache.

He looked from the downed boys on the floor, across to Yugito who was suddenly looking sheepish and then finally to Rei. Another line seemed to appear on his brow as he continued to stare at her before turning away, calling out to the corridor as a whole. "All of you get to class immediately. If any of you are late, I'll see to your punishments personally. Go."

The group who'd tried to pick a fight with them hurried off, the uninjured ones carrying the downed ones, the girls running off behind them. The crowds dispersed, disappearing into classrooms. Picking up her map, Rei looked over at Yugito. "Hey…thanks there."

"No problem, Rei-chan." The other girl shrugged, dusting off her hands. "It seems we're all stuck in this situation together so we might's well get used to looking out for one another."

Rei nodded, looking around to find Kaoru and taking the younger girl's hand. Despite not being certain of everything herself, she felt a slight protectiveness towards her. Moving together, the three hurried through the corridors until they reached the place. The door swung open and they found themselves in an open training ground, a large rectangular courtyard of open gravel and sand. To their eyes, it was almost like a flashback to the arena.

"You three were a second away from being late! Get your asses over here now!"

A woman came marching over to them, shoulder-length golden-red hair flapping around behind her as she came to stop before them. A single pale green eye sized them up, the other hidden behind a mass of bandages. Yugito folded her arms, looking defiant. The corner of the woman's mouth twitched slightly and she shrugged. "Alright… Over there you'll be issued with your first sword. Once you get it, join the line of other students. Move it."

They hurried over to the far end of the courtyard where a small structure like a vendor's store stood. As they approached, a man passed out a sheathed blade to them each. It seemed to be a katana in length, perfectly balanced and formed. Rei accepted hers, hand wrapping around the tsuka and half-drawing the blade, seeing herself reflected in the polished sheen of the metal. Almost immediately, a surge of heat leapt from the leather-wrapped handle to her hand, almost causing her to drop it in surprise.

The man stared at her as did the other two girls. Trying to ignore them, she shoved the blade back into its saya and turned to move off to the line. There were a dozen others who glanced briefly at them before returning their attention to the woman at the front of the group who seemed to be the instructor here.

"Good morning, students. My name is Misaki Kurogane and I'll be your instructor in the Zanjutsu aspect of your training." The woman ran a hand through her hair, left hand resting on her sheathed blade as she paced up and down the line. "You've just been issued with your blade. This weapon is now your baby. There is nothing more important in this whole world than the sword you hold now."

"You'll carry this blade from this moment until the point you die in your career as a shinigami. Currently, it is an asauchi, a nameless blade. But as you bear this blade, your spirit will slowly become imprinted upon the metal. As this occurs, you may notice its shape and form changing as it becomes yours. This is the first stage your blade undergoes before it properly becomes a zanpakutou."

Kurogane drew the blade at her side, holding it up for everyone to see. It was a long katana, the blade pure black and gleaming in the morning sun. "This is my zanpakutou, Karaishou." She stabbed it into the ground in front of her. "By the time you leave the academy, you won't be expected to know the name of your blade but in time you'll learn its true name and then you'll be able to call upon its true power and release it to its true form. That's called the shikai or initial release."

"After that… There's one final step to take. The bankai or final release increases the power of your zanpakutou dramatically to almost ten times the strength of the shikai but this can only be acquired after centuries of training or even longer depending on the ability of the user. Then again...many shinigami are unable to manifest their bankai. Often only those of noble blood have enough spiritual power to call forth the full spirit of their sword."

"For now, split up in to pairs for sparring practice. Currently, those blades aren't sharp and will only gain an edge after your spirit becomes more strongly imprinted on it so nothing to worry about there." Kurogane waved a hand to signal for them to move off and they started to break up into twos. Rei turned to Kaoru and Yugito but the latter grinned at her, seizing the younger girl and steering her off with a slightly shocked expression on her face. She spun her around and marched her off, looking back to wink at Rei. "Sorry, Rei-chan. She's mine for now. I'm sure you'll find a nice sparring partner on your own."

Rei opened her mouth to protest but they had moved off and she sighed, looking around for someone else to team up with who didn't stare at her as if she were the dirt on the bottom of their sandals. She was just beginning to think she was going to have to stand around awkwardly when another boy around her age came jogging through the crowd to her.

He had messy dark hair, though it was more the tattoo design along his forearm that she noticed as he ran a hand through the mass, grinning widely as he came over to her. He extended a hand, which she took hesitantly, surprised by his forwardness. "Hey there. I'm Kaien Shiba. Nice to meet you. And you are…?"

"Rei. Rei Mikihara. And…Shiba? You're from that clan? I'm…surprised you're willing to deal with the likes of me, considering how…those others have been treating us since we got here." She glanced around again, noting the quick head turns as the other students looked away from staring at her and her sparring partner, failing horribly at acting casual.

The guy grinned, seemingly oblivious to the scrutiny. He waved a casual hand. "Don't worry about it. I'm not really that fussed about the whole noble thing, you know? Let's just forget about, alright?"

"Um…sure." This guy sure was a strange one… Rei accepted his explanation as they prepared to spar. Well…shall we?"

Kaien bowed slightly to her and hesitating at this entirely new formality, she followed suit as they took up places opposite each other, reaching for their blades. Fingers wrapping around the tsuka of her asauchi, she slowly drew it, feeling warmth on her skin as it flashed free. She brought it up in a guard position, watching for Kaien to take up his own fighting stance.

He raised his asauchi above his head before charging, slashing down for her. She twisted aside, sidestepping and slashing backwards for his throat, being blocked and then sliding back for a thrust. Another dodge and then a counter followed. Rei sprang away to avoid having the blunt blade reach her, stepping in and hammering away at his guard with her own katana.

They continued for the most part of the day, pausing for a lunch break before continuing. Since it was their first day with their new weapons, the woman in charge had said they'd been at this all day to gain complete familiarity with them before they started other things. Kurogane moved between pairs, giving advice to the less able combatants. She passed by them without saying anything though Rei could still feel the instructor's eyes on her after she'd moved off. The afternoon became evening as Rei sprang high, chopping down for Kaien's head with the blunt blade.

He continued to hold his ground as they fought, her wilder attacks being repelled by his greater defence while keeping him on the back foot. Many of the pairs around them had already stopped for temporary breaks, worn out by their short exchanges. Behind Kaien, Rei spotted Kaoru sitting down and rubbing her head where Yugito had tapped her with the flat of her blade and was now looked like she was trying to stop the younger girl from crying.

"You're going to have to focus on me or you're going to get hit, Rei." She snapped back to her own battle in time to duck low, catching an overhead swing just above her shoulder, pushing up and spinning around to face Kaien. She sighed. "My apologies… I'll have to rectify that now."

Eyes were on her again as she sprang forward. They were on both her and her sparring partner as she unleashed a flurry of blows, coming from all sides to force Kaien off his balance again. A direct stab to the gut forced him pivot aside but by then her foot was stamping in, cracking against his thigh.

He stumbled as she stepped in, driving the butt of her asauchi's tsuka into his chest, causing him to fall back. His own gasp was accompanied by that of the surrounding students as Rei drew back her sword-arm. Heat seemed to surge from the grip in her hand, a strange feeling coming over her arm as she slashed down with the blunt blade…only to see that it was no longer blunt. A razor-sharp edge cut down for Kaien's chest, protected only by the thick layer of cloth of his academy uniform. She had become so caught up in her movements again, her swing carried too much momentum for her to stop.

Then a hand reached out caught the blade dead, pinched by slender fingers. Rei's eyes widened as she looked past her own weapon to find the figure of Kurogane interposed between her and Kaien, her hand raised to stop the asauchi dead in its tracks. The instructor released the blade and it swung back to her side. The older woman was staring at her curiously, as was Kaien from behind her back, recovering. The asauchi was light in her hands as she held it up to her eyes. The razor edge of her weapon had vanished, leaving the blunt blade identical to the ones issued to each of the academy students.

Sweat ran down Rei's brow as she let the blade fall. She'd come close to wounding or even killing Kaien when she'd only just met him. What was that…? Kurogane had said these blades responded to the wielder's spirit and had their soul imprinted on it… Was that the nature of her spirit…? The soul of a killer…?

"I think…we can call for a stop for today, students." There were sighs of relief and groans of pain as the students picked themselves up slowly and started trudging off indoors for a hot meal, the smells of it already wafting over the evening breeze. Rei remained where she was, clutching at her asauchi, left gripped tightly around the blade. It pressed into her flesh but didn't cut the skin. It truly was still blunt.

"Hey…if you keep squeezing it like that you might hurt yourself." She looked up in surprise to find Kaien standing there, looking at her with that same friendly expression from earlier, arms folded and asauchi resting at his side. She opened her mouth to apologise but he held up a hand, waving it off. "Don't worry about it. Nothing happened so we can forget about it for now. We should get moving now before dinner gets cold, right?"

"Yes… Yes, let's go." She nodded, taking one more look at her asauchi before sliding the weapon back into its sheath and following him indoors, meeting Yugito and a shell-shocked looking Kaoru as they all headed off into the warmth and light of the academy.

--

"Who's there…?"

Pacing around the training courtyard where she'd been holding her class today, Misaki Kurogane stopped, looking around in the darkness for the figure lurking out there. There… She spun, drawing her zanpakutou in a flash as she pivoted, cutting downwards with Karaishou for her mysterious visitor. A hand reached out of the darkness, catching the black blade between its fingers as the rest of the figure emerged.

She sighed, pulling her zanpakutou free and shoving it back into its sheath. "I swear…you just sneak up on me all the time to practice that technique of yours."

Shiro grinned, letting his hand drop to his side as he pulled back his hood, revealing the face of her former instructor and captain. Relieved of his zanpakutou and command, he was unarmed, clad in a simple dark blue shihakusho. A pair of sunglasses replaced the normal strip of cloth he wore across his eyes.

"Maybe… I remember you seemed to keep bugging people to swing a sword at you for month or two after I taught it to you until you learned to do it without ending up in the 4th Division's infirmary." He shrugged, glancing to the building where the students had exited to several moments before. "So…how's she doing?"

"Rei…?" Misaki crossed her arms, musing on it for a moment before replying. "She's…quite an unusual person, actually. She seems to have a very strong spiritual presence but she doesn't realise her own abilities…and she has no control over herself. I suppose that could be attributed to her background…"

"On top of that… It seems she's bonded to her asauchi extremely fast. Though it was only for a moment, it became a zanpakutou when she was fighting the Shiba boy. If I hadn't stepped in, we might have had to explain to their family how one of his peers ended up killing him right now. That'd be some messy business."

"Tell me about it… Bad enough I have my old clan after my ass but to have the Shiba clan breathing down my neck because some student I brought in killed one of their sons." He sighed. "Alright…I shouldn't keep you much longer. We can catch up another time when I'm not sneaking into this place after dark."

"Of course. I'll be seeing you around a lot, I guess, captain." Turning to go, she walked slowly towards the building. She waved a hand back to him as he leapt off away into the night. "Goodnight, captain."

"Goodnight, lieutenant."


	6. A Harmonious Class

"Mikihara!"

Rei leapt slightly in her seat, rubbing her eyes and looking around to find the teacher at the front of the class glaring at her. Kaizuka-sensei kept on with his silent tirade before dropping his gaze to his book again and continuing. Rei rested her chin in her hands, letting her eyelids droop again. It was one of their theory classes, teaching the history of Soul Society, its founding, and how it continued to endure by the actions of the Gotei 13. To her, it seemed mostly a long rant about how the noble families were responsible for saving all of their asses and that the rest of them all owed their lives and souls to their superiors.

Classes A and B consisting of twelve students each were present in the same lecture classroom. After the first week, Rei had yet to learn the names of many of the other students, the majority of them keeping to themselves. She'd stuck close to her two comrades from the slave arena. Yugito had managed to fall asleep without being spotted, snoring softly on Kaoru's shoulder. The latter left her there while trying to scribble down notes on a small piece of parchment. And then further down the front of the room was that strange boy, Kaien.

He looked around and waved back to her. She raised a hand in response before letting it slap back down on the desk as she continued to half-process the teacher's words. The textbook sitting before her was battered and old, issued to her on her first class with Kaizuka-sensei. To try and stop herself from dozing off, she flipped it open, turning over pages to gaze at pictures, occasionally pausing on certain articles of interest. It covered much of what the man at the front of the class was talking about, the majority of it concerning the history of Soul Society and the formation of the Gotei 13. She reached a section concerning the important figures of the Gotei 13, primarily the captains.

She found Shiro quickly. Shiro Matsumura, 2nd captain of the 10th Division. A civil war veteran with one of the longest list of battle honours earned among the officers who'd fought on the frontlines. The picture was taken several centuries before yet he looked almost the same, maybe slightly more youthful but he had the same hair, same build, same unwavering blank stare. He'd looked at her as he'd offered a hand to help her up just like he was looking out of the page now.

Her hands turned the page again. There was a list of the prominent officers who had served with Shiro, mostly his lieutenants of which he seemed to have gone through many. The woman in charge of her zanjutsu training, Misaki Kurogane, was among them. That caused Rei to raise an eyebrow as she moved on coming to the next image and then freezing. Her mouth opened in a silent gasp as her eyes fixed on the photo of a woman wearing the haori of a Gotei 13 captain. The caption under the picture read; Asuka Mikihara, Captain of the 9th Division.

_Mother..._

Rei's fingers ran across the page's surface, trying to gain some feeling or emotion captured in the image. Though clad in the uniform of a shinigami, a militant arm of Soul Society, bearing a zanpakutou at her side, she could only feel warmth and love from the woman on the page. Her mother was smiling, the same expression she'd last seen, blood staining her face as someone drove a sword through her chest. It was the smile she'd reserved for her young daughter, the one held in her arms in the photo.

A droplet of water wet the page. _Damn it..._ She was crying... Rei grit her teeth, balling up a fist and wiping her eyes furiously. She looked around her to see if anyone had seen her but the class were either doing their best to pretend to be interested in Kaizuka-sensei's lesson or, like Yugito, snoring loudly enough to make her wonder if their teacher was partially deaf. Gripping a fistful of her uniform, she dried her eyes, slamming her textbook shut as the bell rang to signal the end of the class. Seizing her things, she stood and hurried from the room, slipping out as the others converged on the doorway.

Yugito and Kaoru caught up with her in the corridor, the former still wiping sleep from her eyes. Kaoru kept staring at her, peering closely at her face as they kept on walking. "Are you alright, Rei-san? You look like you've been cr..."

"I'm fine, Kaoru. We better hurry up. We have kidou training and Kuchiki-sensei already has enough reason not to like us."

--

"Hadou #1: Shou!"

A breeze seemed to churn around the man-sized wooden dummy, causing it to rock slightly before returning to its static state. Rei looked around to see Yugito give a howl of frustration at her failed attempt to knock over her target with a spell. Much like the previous few classes they had under the watchful eye of Hideki Kuchiki, the girl proved that she had next to no abilities when it came to using kidou. It had taken enough time just to even cause 'something' to happen when she said the words. Her inability to do something the smaller girl could do was not doing great things for her mood.

"Hadou #1: Shou!"

The second wooden dummy seemed to almost explode under the force of another spell. Kaoru lowered her hand, eyes still wide and staring at the results of her attack. She seemed to be intimidated by her own actions. _Poor girl..._ After what she'd been through, anything violent scared her half to death though she was slowly getting over it. Very slowly. Rei offered her a brief smile and a thumbs up in an attempt to encourage her even as the tall figure of Kuchiki-sensei descended on her, obscuring her from view. From the sounds of it, she was being congratulated for her pleasing results. The slight squeaks of her nervous replies made Rei grin slightly despite herself as she turned to her own target.

She took a deep breath, closing her eyes as she tried to channel her own reiatsu into the kidou spell. It was hard to grasp at it, like trying to seize wisps of fog in her hands. She could visualise the intended effect in her mind, see the target being knocked over by the solid thrust of her attack. Closing her fist slowly, she felt a ripple beneath her fingers. Drawing back her hand, she gathered those threads of energy together. Then her eyes snapped open as she punched forward.

"Hadou #1: Shou!"

A force ripped from Rei's right hand, bursting forward and striking the wooden dummy directly in the chest. An invisible thrust crashed into the target's chest, cracking the solid wood and propelling it backwards, knocking it flat on its back. She let her arm drop to her side, walking over to it to inspect the damage. A small dent had appeared on the dummy's chest where her spell had struck. Not as much force as Kaoru but at least she'd managed to do it. Which was a whole lot more than Yugito had managed on top of that.

The other girl had attempted to knock her target down by throwing stones at it. Rei watched blankly as she then gave up on the stones to march down the length of the kidou range, drawing her asauchi from her side and stabbing it through the dummy's chest. Having punched a hole in it, she'd proceeded to kick it down and then hacking away at it until it lay in pieces. Rei shook her head as she walked over to her, inspecting the decapitated target, nudging apart chunks with her toe. Yugito looked over at her, grinning, clearly pleased with herself.

"Gets the job done, right?"

Rei shook her head wearily, trying to ignore as the same thing that seemed to be becoming a daily occurrence happened again, the other members of the class pausing to watch Yugito's performance. Kaoru hurried forward, tugging at her sleeve, trying to appear invisible despite being in the open kidou firing range. She yelped as she was dragged along before the other girl realised she was clinging to her arm, stopping and setting her asauchi down. "Did I overdo it a bit?"

"I think...you might just have, Yugito-san. We're drawing unnecessary attention." Rei stepped forward, grabbing a fistful of Kaoru's uniform and dragging her out the way just as Kuchiki-sensei stormed forward in a mood she could only sum up as 'pissed off', if a member of that senior clan could manage such a state of attitude. They turned away to avoid the repercussions of their companion's quick-tongued replies against the sounds of their instructor along the lines of failing to fulfill the objective of the day's exercise, having no talent for the most powerful art available to the Gotei 13 and questioning the wisdom of ever allowing such uncouth and common characters to be accepted into the academy.

"Kuchiki-sensei is right, of course. Who knows what Unohana-dono was thinking when she allowed those...peasants and scum in." That was a voice Rei had been getting used to hearing over the past few days. She looked over her shoulder to see another girl standing a few metres off, surrounded by a pile of blown-apart dummies. Long silky black hair, very refined features... Misato Kuchiki, their fellow classmate and resident bitch was the top student of the first class and she didn't mind lauding it over the others, none more so than Rei and her two comrades.

Rei closed her eyes attempting to close her senses off from having to listen to them. After a week, she'd hoped they'd just stop but they kept going at it. Not all of them, of course though the ones from some of the lower clans were always ready to agree with the Kuchiki. She held her sheathed blade with her left hand, gripping it to steady herself. It seemed that her long honed ability to draw in on herself worked better on her short-term beatings than these constant snide comments. Her thumb flicked up, loosening her asauchi from its sheath. It was too simple. A draw and a stab through the Kuchiki girl's throat. No problem...

"Rei-san...?"

Hands grabbed at her wrist and she found Kaoru there. The smaller girl shook her head and Rei sighed, slapping the tsuka to push it back into its sheath. It seemed Kuchiki-sensei had also finished with Yugito as their companion returned over to them. Their kidou instructor called them all over for another talk about how to cast the spell again. The three sat at the back, Yugito grumbling away about where Kuchiki-sensei could stick his criticism.

"Perhaps you should listen rather than complain about it." The three girls looked forward to see Misato staring back at them, the condescension almost pouring from her voice and expression.

Kaoru opened her mouth to apologize but Yugito held up a hand to forestall her, snapping back. "Perhaps you should take your own advice, shut up and mind your own damn business."

"Tch..." Misato spat on the ground. "Unlike...your kind of people, every member of the Kuchiki family has mastered these valuable abilities from an early age. I accomplished what you couldn't when I was only 7 years old. Even one of those spiritually-challenged Shihouin could manage it. It's hard to imagine a level lower than them but then I suppose we don't usually count slaves as actual people."

"That's ex-slave, bitch..."

"And what the hell is that supposed to mean, Kuchiki...?" Another student whipped around in their seat, the dark-skinned Hideo Shihouin, yellow eyes narrowed as he glared at Misato. "Do you have a point to make...?"

"You should talk to Kuchiki-sama with more respect!" Rei looked back and forth as another one of the students spoke up. Kumiko Nomura of one of the lesser noble clans and always a firm supporter of the Kuchiki, looked ready to jump to her defence on her behalf as expected. Hideo's death stare swung around to lock onto Kumiko.

"And you should shut your mouth when talking to your betters. If you speak to me again like that, I'm going to crush your windpipe."

"Tch...he thinks he can."

"They do all tend to have a high impression of themselves..."

The brother and sister were talking to one another, backs turned as if ignoring them all but making sure they were loud enough so that all the others could hear them. Soujirou and Azumi Matsumura maintained their false air of aloofness at the collective glares from all the previous parties. Hideo made to stand fists raised but the brother slapped a hand backwards, catching the Shihouin in the chest and bowling him backwards and tripping over the back row of seats. He leapt to his feet, whipping his leg around in a roundhouse kick.

Yugito and Rei reached simultaneously for the back of Kaoru's uniform and pulled her down as the attack swept over her head in the confined space, cracking Kumiko across the face by accident. He collapsed in a heap even as Misato raised a finger, pointing it at Hideo and blasting a burst of white lightning across the whole group at large. Those initially not caught up in the kidou spell and fell away with smoke and cries of pain immediately leapt to their feet, fists and feet flying as students gave in to their simple need to hit something.

"Hold please, Rei-chan?" Yugito pushed Kaoru into Rei's arms before charging into what was swiftly developing into a simple brawl with a grin. Rei rolled her eyes as she watched their companion attack as Kaien sidled around the edges of the fight and took a seat beside her. He watched casually as Azumi punched Hideo across the face and then took him down with a flip that the Shihouin evaded up bracing up and flipping aside. It was...interesting to watch the two unarmed specialists beating the hell out of each other, after all.

"So...how's your day been today, Rei?"

"Er...fine thanks, Kaien." She raised an eyebrow at the out-of-place question. An explosion suddenly tore through the crowd of struggling figures, blasting them apart as Kuchiki-sensei finally realised that they probably weren't listening while beating each other's brains out and decided to break them up. Rei covered her ears as he started to shout at the top of his voice. She sighed. "Though...I have a feeling it's going to be a long day after this..."

--

"Seems I'm not arrested and imprisoned yet. Yamamoto must be doing an even better job of holding the clan up than I thought."

Shiro downed another bowl of sake and signaled for Shunsui to pour him some more. Still wearing his civilian gear, he took his sunglasses off and set them down on the table of the drinking house. He'd ended up meeting Shunsui and Juushirou, still clad in their captain uniforms, there in the Seireitei but outside the Gotei 13 territory lest he run into any unfavourable members of his clan on their way to complain to the captain-commander. He and Shunsui were sharing a large bottle of sake while Juushirou sipped at his green tea.

"Yama-jii is playing the old man card. Pretending he can't hear them when they talk to him, asking them to repeat things until they got tired and left..."

"What Shunsui means is that we have no idea what he's doing but whatever it is, it's keeping you from being punished any further for the moment, Shiro." Juushirou held up a hand to forestall their companion's ramblings. Shiro grinned, scratching the back of his head. "Well...thank him for me, next time you run into him. I wasn't sure what to expect when the clan started pressing down on him with all their political pressure but then I suppose you never know what the old man is capable of."

He yawned widely, setting down another empty bowl. "And how's my Division keeping? I know Mitsuki's a very capable officer but with the Matsumura breathing down her neck and just the whole...captain duties to deal with, I wonder how she's coping."

"Captain...duties...? What are those?" Shunsui seemed to ponder that thoughtfully before giving up, instead returning to his drinking. "But don't worry about Mitsuki, Shiro-kun. Since I figured Lieutenant Fushima might need some assistance from a captain while she get used to her tasks, I've been...checking up on her frequently."

"Indeed... If you checked up on her anymore, she'd have had you called up on sexual harassment charges, Shunsui. And if you weren't a captain...she would have smacked you on your ass." Juushirou sipped his tea again, setting it down once empty. The young waitress came over to replace it and the white-haired captain thanked her, smiling pleasantly. She flushed, covering her face with her tray as she hurried off again. Shiro and Shunsui looked from her back to him, eyebrows raised at his usual, effortless manner at having that effect on females...and furthermore while remaining oblivious to it. He looked up to see them both staring at him. "What...?"

"Nothing..." The other two exchanged exasperated looks before returning their gaze to their drinks, talking in lowered tones just to exclude the 13th captain. "Man...how the hell does he manage it?"

"No idea... But if I had those kinds of skills, I'd use them more. Wasted on him..."

"Oh I don't think a charming guy like you needs those kinds of skills to pick up young, attractive females." Shiro looked around as a woman dressed in a black yukata slid into the seat next to him, long red hair falling in a curtain to hide her face. They sat up straighter and even Juushirou appeared suddenly interested. She gave a sultry chuckle at the sudden attention, tossing her hair back over her shoulder, revealing a beautiful face...which was all too familiar to them all.

"Kiri..."

She put a finger to Shiro's lips as Kirio Hikifune took the cup of sake from his hand, winking at him before downing it in one swallow and refilling it. Her hand slapped down on his thigh as she leaned in close to whisper in his ear. "I thought an appropriate disguise was necessary to keep a low profile while visiting you, Shiro-kun. And you know I just couldn't resist visiting you."

He grinned as she slid closer, bodies pressing together as she rested her head on his shoulder, his arm around hers. Juushirou finished his tea and rose from his seat, clearing his throat. "Come on, Shunsui. We should leave these two to talk."

Shunsui looked torn momentarily, gesturing futilely to his half-finished sake and with an unsubtle nod at the couple. "But...I thought maybe we could stick around and..."

"No...we're leaving." Juushirou took a hold of Shunsui's haori and pulled him up, waving in farewell as he made his way out. "Alright, Shiro-kun. We'll be seeing you around and Ki...your friend here. Take care until then."

Shiro and Kirio watched as the pair moved off, Shunsui stumbling after his companion, leaving them alone again. They waited a few moments before they were sure they'd be left alone when Kirio turned to him again. "So...what now, Shiro-kun? My lieutenant's got things covered for several hours and I've got nothing better to do. Feel like...catching up?"

"Well...from what I've heard from Misaki, Rei's whole class have screwed up and I've got to go out and make sure nothing goes wrong with them. You remember Hideki Kuchiki when people mess around in his class. But..." He placed his fingers under her chin, turning her head to face him, kissing her on the lips. She closed her eyes, sighing in a satisfied way as they moved apart. "...that won't be on until late nightfall and my place isn't very far from here. Besides...you know I've always had a thing for redheads."

She coiled a red lock around her finger, regarding it. "Well...I always know what you like, Shiro-kun. As I think I could prove right...now."

Shiro grinned. He rose, helping her to her feet and offering her his arm as they made their way swiftly from the place and heading out into the night. "Let's go."


	7. Night Patrol

"You've got to be kidding!"

"Do you have a problem with that order, Misato Kuchiki?" Instructor Hideki Kuchiki folded his arms into the sleeves as he glared down at his grand niece, his long black moustache bristling with suppressed distaste. It was a look that'd been fixed firmly on his features now for the past several hours as the sun set over the Seireitei. Once the fighting had calmed down to leave behind many battered and bruised students, he had ordered them to stand outside at attention and wait there until night fell.

The point where they were forced to stand was well-chosen as part of the punishment. The scents and smells of dinner time wafting out down the line of Class 1 combined with the lack of food since breakfast was making for a group of very disgruntled and slightly repentant students. Kaien next to Rei at the end was particularly annoyed, making strange whining noises as his stomach accompanied him with its rumbling. Rei herself had to resist reacting to her own hunger as she stared directly ahead, looking surprised at the new orders Kuchiki-sensei had given.

"No, sensei…"

He nodded, turning his back on her and marching down the line until he came to a halt in front of Rei. "As I was saying…until Kuchiki interrupted. You'll be heading out into the Seireitei tonight on patrol duty. You'll be splitting down into three teams to cover the areas indicated on the maps present to your team leaders. You're to be on guard until daybreak when you're to return to the main entrance. Your duties are merely to report any disturbances and break up any problems encountered. And don't even think about attempting to slack off. You'll be under surveillance the whole time."

"As for the teams…they will be as follows. The first team will be led by Hideo Shihouin along with Seijourou Arai, Azumi Matsumura and Toushirou Hamasaki. The second will be led by Kaien Shiba supported by Yugito Kosaka, Kaoru Ishino and Kumiko Nomura. The last team will be led by Rei Mikihara, supported by Misato Kuchiki, Soujirou Matsumura and Toushirou Katsura."

"What…?!"

Kuchiki-sensei's gaze snapped around on Misato again at her outburst. A few moments of disagreement and then they were ordered to march off and sent out from the Academy. It was cold too as they came to the cross roads where they needed to split up.

"Looks like this is where we part ways then. Catch you later, Rei." Kaien raised a hand in farewell as he called for his teammates to follow him off. Yugito cast a glance over from him to Kaoru at her side. She clapped Rei on the shoulder before turning to head off into the night. "I'll be seeing you back after all this, Rei-chan. I'll look after Kaoru but make sure you look after yourself. Considering your teammates, you're going to need it."

--

"When Kuchiki-sensei said you were in charge, he didn't really mean it..."

Rei shook her head, trying to ignore as Misato continued to complain right behind her as they advanced through the silent streets, illuminated only by the lines of lanterns hanging along the sides of the path and casting long shadows of the four as they went. Rei's left hand was tight on the sheath of her asauchi, right hand flexing and ready in case they were attacked. Maybe it was a silly thought, this being the Seireitei, not the filth hole of the Rukongai where she'd been brought up. Muggers and bandits, wandering rogues and people just wanting to kill someone didn't walk around the domain of nobles.

As she walked, she mused to herself, turning over the events of a few moments ago in her mind. Why she'd been given command, she wasn't sure. Possibly because she'd been one of the few who didn't get involved in the fight. Possibly because Misato had been at the heart of the punch up and Kuchiki-sensei was particularly cruel in his punishment by making her have to follow behind a peasant girl, one of commoners' blood. The last option made her snort. Maybe Kuchiki-sensei had seen some potential in her as a leader and this was the first real test to see how she handled power. As if... It was probably more a combination of the first two.

Well the other two had yet to start complaining. She looked over her shoulder to assess her team, something she expected a leader was meant to do. Right behind her while maintaining her distance, looking around cautiously despite her constant mutterings was Misato. Despite how much the girl's boasting had irritated Rei, it seemed that there was substance to back up her obnoxious confidence. Though she was not the best at physical combat, her kidou prowess was far beyond that of any of the members of Class 1. Though she had only shown a little of what Kuchiki-sensei had allowed them to try out, she had the feeling that the Kuchiki clan had taught her far more than that prior to her entry into the Academy.

Behind Misato came the light-haired figure of Toushirou Katsura. He had seemed fairly unremarkable so far from what she'd seen of him during their classes. He was just...average. Average in their studies, average in practical combat skills... He was even plain in appearance. If she'd passed him in the streets, she wouldn't remember him. Maybe that was a useful quality in some cases...but she supposed at least he didn't have anything to complain about either. Not of particularly high birth, he didn't have a major axe to grind against her being there in the academy.

It was quite a contrast with the last member of the team. Tall and broad, cool eyes regarded Rei from beneath messy black hair. If not for the look of cold indifference on his features, she'd almost call him handsome in a rough-cut kind of way. He bore some of family resemblance to Shiro, that much was clear. Soujirou Matsumura, bringing up the rear, was a powerful presence as he followed the others, fists clenching and unclenching. Though they hadn't sparred personally, Rei had witnessed both Soujirou and his twin sister in action when it came to hakuda and both lived up to the reputation of the Matsumura clan and their expertise in close-quarter combat.

All together, they were a very well-rounded team and ready for action if they ran into any. Had Kuchiki-sensei planned for them to run into danger? Considering the other teams as well, those too were arranged for dealing with any type of threat. Or perhaps he was just being cautious... _I must be over thinking this..._

There was movement ahead. Rei raised a fist, calling them to a halt. The others came to a stop at once, even Misato obeyed the command without making a sound. The students were all on edge, hands ready on weapons in an instant. They had trained tirelessly for the majority of the week and it seemed the others had seen some conflict outside the dojo, but both the weight of responsibility and of the imposing darkness was gnawing at their nerves.

Light spilled out of a doorway and voices could be heard from within. A group of four or so youths came stumbling out, smelling of alcohol and looking slightly dishevelled despite their noble clothes and features. In spite of these things, it was the fact they carried sheathed katana at their sides that drew her attention. Rei's thumb flicked her asauchi loose from its sheath, right hand ready, resting on the tsuka. She could hear the sounds of the others readying their weapons as the leader of the drunk group stumbled towards them, the light falling onto his handsome face as he finally noticed the group. He looked slightly older than them, tall and well-built, judging by Rei's quick assessment. He blinked, seemingly recognising them...or one of them.

"Misato...?"

"Kenji...?" The Kuchiki girl's voice sounded from behind Rei and she turned around to look at her. The expression on the other girl's face was more surprising than the fact this guy knew her. Instead of the usual arrogant superiority, there was an embarrassed almost...girlish look there. It was perfectly reasonable to see it on a teenage girl's face...but it just seemed out of place on Misato's. Even with the eyes of Rei, Soujirou and Toushirou on her, she seemed to ignore them as she walked forward, tucking her hair back behind her ears and straightening her academy uniform.

"What are you doing out here, Misato-chan...? And wearing something like that...? You joined the academy then?"

"I'm out on a night time exercise. Very important." Rei averted her gaze to snort at the blatant lie though Misato ignored her. "And...of course, Kenji-dono. You always spoke so highly about those that manage to get though the academy. I thought it might impress you..."

"Yes yes... It is quite impressive indeed. But then your parents were always pressing you in that direction since you were young. Still...even then it is quite something."

Misato flushed, lowering her gaze. "You're too generous, Kenji-dono."

The older boy waved a hand in a casual gesture before walking past her. "It's getting late now, Misato-chan. I must be getting back and I wouldn't want to hold you up on your important mission. Goodnight and good luck to you."

"Thank you, Kenji-dono!" She inclined her head in a slight bow as he walked off, followed by his crowd of people. There was silence as they moved off, leaving the team behind once again. Another moment and then Soujirou and Toushirou began to snicker to themselves, Rei herself feeling the corners of her lips twitch in amusement. Misato seemed to take longer to come out of her daze before whipping around to face them, features returning to their usual aggressive glare. "Not a word... If you say anything, I'll rip out your throats."

Rei forced her face to become serious again with an effort. She brandished the map Kuchiki-sensei had given her. "Let's...carry on. We still have some ground to cover before we complete our rounds. We should get a move on."

"Tch... Right." Misato seized on the change of subject immediately and they fell into step, continuing to move off into the night. It was almost an hour later before Rei called a halt for a brief rest. They squatted down on short walls lining the street except for Misato who seemed to think it was too uncouth for one such as her. They all waited in silence for a moment, catching their breath before Rei looked over at her.

"So...that guy, Kuchiki-san...?"

"I thought I told you to shut your mouth about that. We're forced together as a team but that doesn't make us anywhere on the same level. Don't think you can talk to me as if we were blood-kin. Bloody peasant scum..." She spat on the ground and Rei had to focus herself not to snap back. She'd only been trying to make conversation, something she found hard enough to do in the first place, considering her background.

"Now now, Misato-chan. There's no need for that kind of talk now..." Soujirou spoke up in bored tones, turning his attention on them both. "Though...I'm slightly curious too. Who was that boy who turned you from your normal bitch self into some giggling school girl?"

"Giggling school...girl...? I..." Misato stammered slightly, entirely missing out the 'bitch' comment. "And that's not some boy, Matsumura. He's a man...more than you'll ever be. But it's none of your damn business so...go to hell."

The two boys began to laugh again. Soujirou seemed to be about to say something more when suddenly he froze, on edge in an instant. Rei felt it too. It was hard to describe...except as a killing intent. Her right hand drifted to her asauchi again, head whipping from side to side, looking for the source. There was movement around them...above them. Rei leapt aside as a blade slashed down where she had been standing a moment before, cracking the cold flagstones beneath.

She dived forward, rolling and drawing her blade in a wide arc, parrying the next strike as it came towards her. She whipped around, combat senses beaten into her in the arena forcing her blade to slash in a guard, knocking aside the next attack. She narrowed her gaze, focusing on the sword in her opponent's hand as he lunged forward again. She moved the asauchi to cut it off but suddenly it seemed to flicker, curving around her guard like a whip and opening her shoulder. A cry escaped her lips as blood splashed across the flagstones. She staggered away from the man, one hand clutching at her fresh injury.

The four team members backed up, resting against each other and facing outwards with drawn blades as another two figures dropped down, clad in black, faces obscured by masks. They were good...and they seemed to have been waiting out here to ambush them. _Who the hell...were these people...?_

"So...it seems that your skills learnt from being in the arena make you a reasonable combatant...for a peasant girl." The man's voice was condescending as he approached. She tensed up, raising her asauchi, eyes focused on the katana resting across his shoulder. "But...against a real swordsman, your attempts are futile."

"What...?" A gasp escaped her lips. The leader had suddenly vanished, appearing right before her and swinging his sword down from his shoulder. Her eyes could trace the path of the blade, cold realisation striking her that she wouldn't be able to stop it in time. She could see it start to curve again like before, this time stabbing forward to pierce through her skull. Then another body wearing the uniform of an academy student interposed itself between her and the blade. There was a clash of metal and the leader leapt away, eyes widening in surprise as Soujirou Matsumura rested his asauchi across his shoulder in the same way the leader had been previously.

"Now that's not very fair... Using the Matsumura Tremor Sword technique on someone who's barely had any formal sword training. Well...maybe her attempts are futile...but how about mine, Shousei-kun?"

"Soujirou...!"

"Did Oji-sama finally get tired of waiting for Yamamoto-sama to act and decided to take matters into his own hands...or your hands, anyway?"

"Shut your mouth, Soujirou...!" The leader, Shousei tore the mask from his face, revealing a face contorted by rage and disgust. Despite that, looking from one to the other, she could make out a resemblance between this boy, no more than a few years older than them, and Soujirou...and Shiro. So...the Matsumura clan were after her now...? For being involved in the death of one of their own and for humiliating them in front of the other clans in that something as simple as a slave revolt caused this much trouble for them.

"Stand aside now, Soujirou. Do that and I'll forgive your insolence this night." Shousei raised his blade, advancing on them. "Let us kill that little harlot and then the matter will be done."

"I don't think so unfortunately, Shou-kun... Kuchiki-sensei assigned her to my team and while that's the case, I have that certain duty to fulfil. Honour-bound and all. You understand that, don't you?" Soujirou was smiling now and despite the fact he was on their side, Rei felt taken aback by the sudden killing intent she felt radiating from her teammate.

"You stupid bastard..." Shousei's voice was venomous as he glared daggers at her kinsman. "The pride and honour of the clan is all that matters. Yet you'd choose your own selfish pride over your own family? If you're going to do that...then you'll die with her. I'll see to it personally."

Soujirou grinned wider, widening his stance as the other Matsumura came flying at him, blade slashing. Almost simultaneously, the other two assailants who had accompanied him came flying forward, their own katana cutting for their flesh. Behind her, Rei could hear Misato shouting the words of some kidou spell while Toushirou readied his asauchi. Her own blade rose, held before her as she lunged forward, taking the enemy head on.

--

Shiro stood on the rooftop just out of sight, overlooking where Rei's group were suddenly facing off against some youths from his former clan. He'd known that the group would be jumped by older students. It was Hideki Kuchiki's favourite punishment to send students, who had given him trouble early on, out into the Seireitei on a 'night time patrol'. During that, they'd be ambushed by a team of older students who would either beat some sense into them and drag them back or manage to stumble back after which the older students would be punished for losing to their juniors. They were meant to be armed only with bokken so no one get seriously hurt...and members of the Matsumura clan were specifically chosen not to be on the team sent after Rei Mikihara. And the supervisor meant to be overseeing them was absent too. It had been bad enough as it was...

And now here three of his kinsmen were, attempting to kill her, armed with live blades; zanpakutou. So far, she'd managed to get away with light injuries and surprisingly, both the Kuchiki girl and Soujirou Matsumura had stepped in to assist her. But judging by the fluidity and ease by which the three assailants were moving, victory was far from guaranteed. A frown appeared across Shiro's brow as another blade cut Rei, her self-taught defences leaving too many openings, which the more experienced enemies were exploiting. _Enough of this..._

He took a step forward, ready to leap down from the roof to put a stop to this fight. Then he felt a chill run down his spine, a presence that made him tense up with sudden caution. Two presences... Two very familiar presences...

"Shiro-niisama. You don't think you should be stepping in on the girl's fight like that."

"Indeed. If Otou-sama stepped in every time we were in danger of dying, we never would have been trained to the...high standards that we have reached, eh Shiro-kun?"

So...they were both here. Shiro's fists clenched and unclenched but he resisted the urge to turn and look at his younger brother and sister, last seen on the battlefield of the Matsumura clan estate during the civil war. They'd found him standing over the body of their oldest brother, Shiro's last kill in the conflict that had torn Soul Society apart. When it had come down to charging the 'war criminals', presiding over the winning side, the Gotei 13, he'd pushed for lenient punishments for them both, unwilling to see more of his own blood spilt...but they'd still never forgiven or forgotten him.

...and they'd sworn to kill him one day. And now little Tsuneo and Midori were here and their killing aura was stronger than he'd ever felt from them before. He inclined his head over his shoulder, not letting Rei out of his direct sight for a second. "If you say so... Care to tell me what you're doing out here? Little children shouldn't be wandering around without their parents."

"There's no need to be so mean, nii-sama. We only came to see you...and see how our students get on. They snuck out and we're always so curious what they get up to. I suppose at least it wasn't tavern wenches and alcohol." Shiro felt a hand on his shoulder, a gentle feminine touch that felt like claws on his body. "But for now, let's just sit back and watch, Shiro-kun."

Another hand rested on his other shoulder. "And I don't think we should start a fight here, onii-sama. If we release our reiatsu, I reckon quite a few people will die... All those noble families sleeping in their beds, not knowing what's happening until it's too late."

Shiro let his hands relax. He'd been running through all the ways he might be able to take them both down before they could react or fight back but evaluating them, feeling their strengths and how they'd grown since he'd last seen them... He spat, not bothering to reply as he kept watching Rei fight down below. "Tch..."

_Good luck, Rei..._

--

Soujirou seemed to be holding his own. Rei fought side by side with Toushirou, blades flicking left and right to parry attack after attack from one of the masked assailants. There was an explosion and the third attacker went flying, his chest smoking from where a bolt of white lightning had struck him. Misato strode forward, blood streaming from a thin cut across her face, a face now contorted in anger. Rei had seen her annoyed but this was a whole new emotion. It seemed this night was revealing many different sides of the Kuchiki noble girl.

"Hadou #4! Byakurai!"

She raised her hand again, firing another stream of explosive energy as the masked assailant attempted to get to his feet again, reaching for his zanpakutou. He was lifted off his feet, crashing into the wall of a building and collapsing against it. Misato touched a hand to her face where she'd been cut, raising her asauchi. The man raised his hands in a guard right as she swung her blade. The blunt edge cracked against the side of his face, knocking him unconscious. Looking over at her, Rei revaluated her opinion of her classmate. She'd already considered her powerful...now she seemed scary.

Rei was forced to return her full attention to her own assailant as he lunged forward, katana flickering at her in a slightly slower version of the technique Shousei had used. She raised her asauchi in a guard, this time charging forward at the same time, moving deep into her opponent's sword range and shoulder charging him. He leapt away but she struck too fast for him to get out of the way as she cut across his gut, her blunted weapon cracking against him and hurling him back. She spun on the spot, whipping her asauchi around in a flash. It smashed him across the face, taking him out of action in an instant with the sound of breaking bones.

And that just left the leader, the one Soujirou was facing. She pivoted around to see how he was doing but the younger Matsumura boy was staggering back, asauchi slipping from a blood-soaked hand, his other clamped at his shoulder to attempt to staunch the bleeding. An uppercut and Soujirou fell backwards, blood flying from his face, collapsing at his feet. Shousei raised his zanpakutou as Toushirou made for him, blade slashing down. The Tremor Sword, as Soujirou had called it, swept out, punching through his gut and dropping him to the ground in a rapidly-spreading pool of blood.

"Shit..." Rei lunged for him, cutting down for his neck. He blocked, driving a knee up into her gut and then punching her hard across the face. She was knocked off her feet but managed to move into a side flip, landing on her feet and slashing again for his face. He spun aside, moving out to her right blindside and drawing his zanpakutou across her flank. She let out a gasp of pain as he followed through with a kick that sent her sprawling down on the cold flagstones.

Shousei spat, flicking the blood off his blade. "You little bitch...and you others. A traitor to his own blood, a Kuchiki and some other peasant scum… I'll just have to kill you all and rid Soul Society of the kind of filth dragging the proud clan names into disgrace."

He came again at Rei, faster, his blade flickering as it curved towards her, aimed for her heart. She started to move her arm up into its natural defence before remembering how it had failed the past two attempts. Her left hand came up, holding the end of the tsuka as Kurogane-sensei had shown her. She made a sweeping motion, an anticlockwise circular arc before her. There was a clash as her asauchi met his zanpakutou, the blade suddenly becoming still, locked against hers.

She drew back for a thrusting stab but he leapt forward again, parrying aside her attack and moving in close, kicking her hard in the thigh and then leg snapping up to hit her under the chin. She flipped over, landing face down as a bolt of lightning shot past Shousei's face. He raised his blade, blocking the next burst from Misato's hand, whipping around and tripping her, inverting his zanpakutou and stabbing down.

A fist shot out, gripping the blade and stopping it dead. Soujirou glared through a mask of blood as he forced the zanpakutou away from Misato's chest even as Shousei lashed out, catching him across the face with a foot and then slashing across his chest as he rolled away.

"Pathetic…" Shousei stabbed his zanpakutou down into the ground as he looked at the four downed students. "Truly I'm doing Soul Society a service by ridding them of such weak future protectors."

Rei clawed around for her asauchi, feeling the tsuka slick with blood as she gripped it, stabbing it down into the ground and forcing herself to her feet. Her muscles shivered but some drive or will compelled her to rise, to fight back if the other consequence was death. She drew back her asauchi, ready for another thrusting strike, letting her rage boil over and her vision to burn red as a snarl escaped her lips.

"What do you think you're doing…? Just lie there and accept your fate like the filth you are, Rei Mikihara…"

She ignored Shousei's words, didn't hear them as she charged. His sword shot out but she was faster than before, racing past it to drive her asauchi for his body. His eyes widened in shock but even then her blow didn't fall. A pain exploded in her gut and she looked down to see a second wakazashi appear in his other hand, driven into her body. A cry escaped her lips even as she took a pace back, drawing back her sword-arm.

"You test my patience, bitch..." Shousei struck, both blades cleaving for her flesh simultaneously. Then suddenly he stumbled. Soujirou, unable to get to his feet, had crawled forward, whipping around and driven his legs on either side of Shousei's one trapping the ankles while the other leg lashed out for the back of his knees. Even as he stumbled, a rush of wind shot past Rei's face.

"Hadou #1! Shou!"

Shousei's blades diverted from their course towards Rei even as his upper body was thrown back as if by some invisible force. Pulled into a crouch, Misato had her arm levelled at him, her eyes narrowed from the focus of her solid invisible punch of a kidou spell. Her gaze met Rei's and she knew it was her turn.

A scream burst from her lips, not one of pain but a cry of exertion as she drove forward, her whole body behind her asauchi in a stab, stabbing into Shousei's body and lifting him off his feet. The blunt tip failed to penetrate the skin but Rei kept running forward, carrying him with her as she forced him backwards until he crashed into the wall of the building behind him. He folded over, leaving cracks along the wall where he'd struck. Still…his chest rose and fell and he'd only lost consciousness. Still alive…

_Not enough…_She started forward, picking up the boy's dropped zanpakutou. Soujirou and Misato made no move to stop her, either unwilling or unable to. The blade was heavy in her hands as she raised it above her head. Shousei had tried to kill her and in her world, it was kill or be killed. _Yes…this was the way things worked…_

Then hands reached out and caught her wrists. She struggled to swing down but the grip on her was firm and wouldn't let go. She looked around to find Toushirou there, stopping her. He shook his head. "Don't do this… It'll only cause more trouble later for you…and you shouldn't be killing a defenceless person like that."

"But he…"

"No." There was a firmness in his voice now and Rei felt compelled to stop suddenly. "Drop the blade."

Her hand opened and the zanpakutou clattered down on the ground. With a heavy sigh, Toushirou stepped back, releasing her and returning his hand to the wound in his gut. She hurried over to him, looking closer. "Are you…alright?"

"No… We all aren't. We need to get back as soon as possible for we all bleed out. Right?"

Misato nodded once. Soujirou spat on the ground but didn't disagree. Now she'd stopped moving, Rei herself could feel herself getting weaker. Yes…they needed healer assistance and fast. Leaning on Toushirou and supporting him at the same time, she started to stagger off, Misato and Soujirou reluctantly doing the same though from the way they didn't complain as much as Rei expected, she found something different in the way they treated each other suddenly. That was…interesting…

'All they needed now was a few more near-death encounters and they'd all be best friends', she mused ironically as they all made their slow way back to the academy.

--

"Oh… Shousei lost?"

Shiro's face remained impassive as he watched the four hurry off, inwardly both greatly relieved that Rei had managed to survive and impressed that the four had managed to pull together to defeat the last enemy. In his day, such an alliance would have been scorned, each noble house preferring to die alone than live as a united front.

Now they were gone, Shiro turned to face his younger brother and sister. They'd grown up from the teenager appearance they'd borne almost 1000 years ago and now looked in their mid 20s.

Tsuneo had grown up in the image of the typical Matsumura male; tall and broad, thick muscles from a lifetime of combat training and the dark hair hanging low just above cold brown eyes. He was clad in a simple shihakushou with a happi over it, concealing the zanpakutou at his side. He was almost the image of their deceased brother, Ichiro, in his youth.

Midori was slim and pretty with an innocent look on her face that belayed her murderous spirit beneath. Her slender hands were clasped before her in a girlish posture, wearing a black yukata that emphasised the toned curves of her body. The blade at her side looked almost out of place as she looked up at her older brother, smiling pleasantly. It was unnerving…

"So what now…?"

"Oh…nothing, nii-sama. Like we said, we were just here to see how they got on down there. Now it's over…I suppose we'll just leave. Unless you have something else to say…?"

"What are you two planning…? What are you and the clan doing…?"

"You haven't changed, Shiro-niisama. Still very…to the point." Shiro turned his gaze on Tsuneo as his brother continued. "You know the feelings of the clan…and of those who were cast aside after the civil war. Not all were taken in by the Gotei 13 like you were…"

"Nothing rallies people like the justice of vengeance for spilt blood. For some, the war never ended…will never end until this justice is done. And for others…they just hate the world as it is now and wish to see it all burn…"

Shiro turned away from them, folding his arms. "You know I won't stand by and let that happen. If I must, I will kill you both to prevent harm coming to those living under the protection of the Gotei 13. Enough innocent blood has been shed in the name of the clans' honour and pride."

"Oh…we know you'll try, Shiro-niisama. We look forward to it. But for now, we'll be going." Tsuneo offered his arm to his sister who took it. They started walking off across the rooftop, vanishing with a flashstep into the darkness. "Good night. Don't miss us too much. We'll be seeing you soon."


	8. Shadows of the Past

"You still look like…crap."

Rei glared at Yugito through a bruised eye where Shousei had punched her. The upper half of her uniform had been stripped off, taken off to be washed, she assumed. It'd been soaked with blood and ripped multiple times where the zanpakutou had reached her. Her entire torso was wrapped tight in bandages to cover over the many wounds she'd taken during the night's events. Even though it wasn't the first time she'd been cut by blades, the wounds from Shousei's katana had seemed to burn more than any she'd received before.

It'd been luck that the four had made it back alive to the academy. They'd staggered the majority of the way there before collapsing on the cold flagstones. Rei had been the last to lose consciousness, the sight of running feet and a blur of red and blue hakama appearing before her. Kaoru's panicked voice had been deafening in her ears as hands ran over her, checking her wounds. She'd caught sight of Yugito's worried face before she felt herself lifted and carried. Then she'd blacked out from blood loss.

That had been two weeks ago. Despite the healing arts of the medical officers of the academy, they hadn't recovered completely and had been confined to the infirmary until Unohana-sensei gave them the all clear. And so every day, other members of their class had been detailed to bring their written and theory work to them. Today it was Yugito and Kaoru's turn…only they'd stopped to have a chat too today. Well…Yugito stopped to have a chat while Kaoru sat by her bedside, looking overly concerned.

"Well I still look a whole lot better than you, Yugito." She grinned slightly, wincing as she did. Her face still stung. "So…how's everything going with the classes?"

"Oh you know…more of the same. Theory with Kaizuka-sensei is as boring as ever. Same with Mifune-sensei and Yosuda-sensei… I'm really not liking these classroom lessons." She sighed. "At least you only have to do the work and not sit through the lectures themselves. Those are the more tiring parts of it. Even then, the written homework is hard stuff…"

"Not that you actually do it. I'm guessing you forced Kaoru-chan into doing it and then you copying it from her…right?"

Yugito's eyes widened, glancing around the silent infirmary before looking back at her. "How the hell did you know that…?"

"Well…aside from the fact you can't read or write from last time I checked…. It seems like the kind of think you'd do. And she seems like the kind who'd let you. Right, Kaoru-chan?" Rei looked over at the smaller girl who nodded slowly, caught Yugito glaring at her and gave a yelp, hiding behind the pile of folders she'd been carrying, the look in her eyes akin to a rabbit borne down upon by a wolf.

Then her glare changed to a grin as she clapped the smaller girl on the shoulder, almost sending her falling off her chair. "Well maybe I can't read and write, I can kick ass better than most of the class. Hakuda and swordsmanship… Hardly anyone capable of taking me on. Well…maybe that Matsumura girl…but she isn't really focused while her twin is in the infirmary with you."

"Anyways…speaking of hakuda training, apparently there's a new visitor coming to help out today. They didn't say anything more but…if it's someone who can teach it better than Matsumura-sensei then they must be good. Don't want to miss it so I'll catch you later, Rei-chan."

Then the pair of them were gone and she was left alone again. Well...not completely alone. Much as she had been for the many hours of the days, Misato was looking at herself in a small hand mirror that seemed to cost a small fortune. She kept running a hand across her cheek where a blade had touched her. It wasn't a very deep scar, Rei sure as hell had dozens more all over her body, but the Kuchiki girl kept sighing heavily and trying to arrange her hair to try and hide it.

Rei grinned slightly to herself, looking away. Though the other girl wasn't exactly the nicest to spend time around with, in a tight spot, they'd all managed to band together and beneath that vain exterior, she was a powerful ally to have at her side.

Soujirou was swinging his asauchi before him with his left arm, about the only part of him, which hadn't been heavily bandaged up. He hadn't said much since they'd gotten back though his presence felt less hostile these days, as if their fight in the streets had broken the ice between them that a difference in class had formed to begin with.

The last member of the fated group was down the far end of the infirmary. Toushirou seemed to be asleep...again. He had spent the majority of time sleeping since they'd been brought back. She kept glancing in his direction but somehow missing him each time, having to look again to spot him. He seemed to fade into the background like he always did. She shrugged, turning away but still remembering as his hands gripped her wrists, his voice screaming in her ears to drop her blade. And she had. Through a blood-drenched haze of killing intent, her hand had opened and she'd snapped back to her senses.

Well…it wasn't something she could make sense of but then she had other things on her mind these days. She closed her eyes again, placing a hand to her forehead. _What the hell is wrong with me? Urgh…_Rei sighed again. She needed to just stop thinking. It was making her head hurt…

--

Yugito gave a yelp as she was flipped head over heels and dumped flat on her back, the floor of the hakuda dojo reverberating as she crashed down on the hard wood. She started to rise but she was flipped over on her face, arm twisted and locked behind her back in a perfect restraint. After some flailing to try and break free, she tapped her hand against the floor and she was released.

Shiro gripped a fistful of the back of her uniform, hauling her upright and sitting her on her feet. Breathing heavily, she wiped her brow with the back of her hand and moved to take up a stance again but the sensei shouted for her to move back to her place in the line. Despite the fact she'd just been put down so easily, Yugito looked pleased and he inclined his head in her direction, returning her grin.

It'd been after an hour or so of demonstrating techniques. He'd been through the whole class now, sparring against each in turn to assess their skills. Yugito was last, having got to class last though her abilities had stood out more than most. The one just before her, a timid looking girl called Kaoru, had been almost pitiful. Her movements had been hesitant and she was afraid to try and hurt someone. He'd done his best to let her off lightly, using only a finger to hurl her away. Even then he'd felt slightly bad.

Naturally, the Matsumura of the class, some pretty young girl called Azumi, was one of the best, even when half distracted by her twin's absence. Soujirou… Shiro had watched him fight alongside Rei and had been impressed, surprised almost that he had risked his own life to help her. It seemed that even with clan pride, honour and courage was still bred into the future generations of the Matsumura clan.

Well…didn't stop them expressing dislike towards those disowned by the clan. Although he was here to check up on Rei and Misaki, one of Tsubaki Unohana's demands that he meet to come into her academy was that he teach one of her classes. Unfortunately, the hakuda instructor, his own niece, was just as unhappy with the arrangement as he was. Natsuki Matsumura had maintained her stern glare on him for the entire duration of the class. She'd maintained a stoic silence, only speaking to introduce him and then keeping her mouth closed.

Catching the silent exchange between the two, Natsuki strode between him and Yugito and ordered the class to leave as the bell for the evening meal rang. Class 1 filed out, leaving him alone with the instructor. The door closed behind the last student as Natsuki turned to him.

"So…"

"So indeed." Shiro folded his arms as she moved closer, looking up at him. She was a head shorter than him but the compressed lethality within her body was evident from the way she stood and regarded him. It was a different feeling from that which came off his siblings. While they had both gave off a hatred tinged by a twisted, calculated nature nurtured over a long period of time, the look in Natsuki's dark brown eyes were ones of a child whose world had been shattered at a young age and left her only with the hurt of loss for one close to her. They both stood glaring without speaking for a moment before Shiro broke the silence.

"The clan… What're they up to? Not much of a secret that the ones who attacked your students were Matsumura. And then my dear brother and sister showed up. You wouldn't happen to know anything about that, would you, Natsuki-chan?"

"Don't you call me something like that, Ojisama. Don't you dare call me that. You may be my uncle by blood but you gave up the right to just demand things from me like that. I'm not telling you a damn thing. You can go to hell for all I care." She turned to go, her long hair swinging behind her in a dark curtain. Natsuki reached for the door.

"I'll make you tell me if I have to, Natsuki. Don't think I will just let you walk out of here without telling me something." Shiro's voice was firmer and commanding, causing her to pause momentarily. He stepped forward to put a hand on her shoulder to hold her back. Just as his hand was about to close, she whipped around and lashing out with a solid kick for his head.

He saw the blow coming but even with advance warning, it was a tough one to just evade. He leapt back but she followed through almost immediately, a perfectly smooth transition from one leg to another as she drove another kick for his torso with extreme force.

A smirk flickered on his lips as his left arm rose, blocking it, wrapping around her extended limb and sliding along to her thigh. A solid thrust into her chest hurled her off her feet. As she fell back, her other leg swept up and around, kicking for his head with the other leg. Even as he raised his striking right hand to parry her foot, she bent backwards, hands planting on the ground and hurling him over her head.

They broke apart, immediately springing back towards each other, fists flying. Their strikes were with such speeds that individual blocks weren't possible, pure fighting instinct and reflexes taking over to prevent bone-crushing strikes from landing. Each strike was perfect. She attacked high and low, seeking breaches in his defence as they opened up, moving from attack to defence as he struck back with his own.

Shiro parried a kick then ducked its return, shattering a hole in the wall where his head had been. He caught her next punch and drove a knee towards her chest but she managed to twist her arm free, springing off his raised limb and flipping backwards. He just managed to lower his arm to block as her feet whipped around with a cracking sound on impact as she turned over in the air.

Natsuki slipped around his punches, twisting inside and hammering a fist for his throat. At close range, her blows came faster and harder to block. His left hand snaked out, meeting each one before they could land before striking faster than the eye could blink. It hit her in the chest, throwing her back. Pivoting, he slammed a kick towards her solar plexus just as she managed to raise both her arms in a guard, grinding to a halt and leaving groves in the wood where her heels had dug in.

He started to push harder, putting greater pressure on his niece. She started backing up across the dojo floor, his own foot movements, trained through the same fighting art, matching hers step by step. The wood cracked underfoot from the force, leaving their footprints split into the surface beneath their sandaled feet. Natsuki's face was twisted in a snarl as her back cracked again the back wall.

She lashed out at him hard, the heel of her palm driving towards his face. He parried the strike, then the next one, pushing her arm past her and slamming her solidly against the wall. Gripping both her wrists, he pivoted on the balls of his feet and threw her over his shoulder, slamming her down on the floor. His hand swept down in a flash, closing on her throat and applying pressure.

"I want answers, Natsuki. Tell me. What are my brother and sister up to?"

"Ojisama… You murdered Otousama. You killed my father and for you to even dare come near me… To even speak to me…" Her eyes were furious as she looked up at him. Her struggles stopped, now her hatred channelled into her glare alone.

He felt the chill run throughout his body, the guilt and regret he felt whenever he was forced to think back to that day. He barely reacted as Natsuki kicked his arm aside to free herself, flipping to her feet but not attacking, just standing there, fists clenched as she looked him in the face. Tears seemed to form in the corner of her eyes.

"How could you do it…? How could you kill him and live with yourself like that afterwards?" Her voice trembled and her hands shook violently as she tried to contain the emotions rising within her. "He was my father. Your brother… And yet you managed to just go on living and serving the organisation that ordered his death."

"It wasn't as simple as that, Natsuki…"

He looked down at his feet, unable to keep meeting her burning stare. Even while looking away, he could still see her eyes imprinted on his mind. He had to fight to keep his own grief reaching his face.

"You were only a young girl when the civil war broke out. You don't know the circumstances that surrounded us all back then. It was the start of a new era in which we were bringing in a new equality between both nobles and those of lower birth in the name of defending Soul Society. Power had been held solely by the six houses and that absolute power was corrupting them from within."

"I…don't care! I don't give a damn about what the noble houses did, their corruption or any of that. I only care about the fact that my…father was a loving parent, who was the dearest thing to me…and his blood is on your hands." Natsuki seemed to be choking over her words now. She lashed out at him but it was weak strike, a gesture more than an attack as he caught her fist in his hand. Her head was bowed, her long fringe hiding her eyes from view. Her cheeks were streaked with wet lines now despite her trying to look otherwise.

"Your father…my brother was one of those chief among the rebellious nobles who refused to comply with the changes. He spurred others both from our clan and the others to keep up a prolonged conflict that left countless dead on both sides and amongst the innocent populace. The order came for Ichiro Matsumura to be terminated in order to break the alliance between the 6 houses. I was chosen because I was the best suited to fighting him."

Shiro sighed heavily, taking a deep breath. "I refused. I couldn't do it. I was relieved of my command and held in detention while two others were sent in my place. One was killed, Hitoshi Kotetsu, and the other, Asuka Mikihara, severely wounded. Both were…very close to me and so I finally came forward, burning with the need for vengeance."

"The man I faced bore Ichiro's face and fought with the same abilities…but he was a different person. He'd fallen. Using now forbidden techniques to draw in other souls, he'd become powerful but corrupted…and there was nothing left of the man I'd once called brother…and so I cut him down to save both his soul and everyone else's lives. As a result of my actions, the civil war lost momentum and eventually came to an end."

"And…that justifies what you did, Ojisama…?"

"No…it doesn't. There's not a day that goes by that I don't have to stop and think whether I could've done something else to stop the war without having to do what I did…or if I was on the right side." He dropped his arm to his side, Natsuki's lowering too. "But I do know one thing. In doing what I did, I took my brother's life…but I saved his soul before it could be corrupted further."

"Ojisama…" She took another swing at him but there was no power or control in it, simply lashing out to vent her frustrations. Natsuki stumbled forward and Shiro caught her. She didn't fight him, burying her face in the front of his shihakushou. Unconsciously, he placed an arm around her, holding her close. It reminded him of the time before the civil war when she was still a small kid running around at their waists. He patted her carefully on the back until she drew back, looking up at him through reddened eyes.

"I don't know what to think, Ojisama… I hate you. I've hated you all for so long…and yet, when I think back, I can remember something changing in him towards the end… I didn't want to think…to remember that along with the memories I had of him towards the end."

"I'm sorry, Natsuki… I didn't want to bring back the bad memories like that… But we have more than enough good memories of him before then. We can hold on to those, no matter how things ended." Shiro put a hand on her shoulder, looking into her eyes. "But now another conflict may be brewing. More innocents ready to be caught in the crossfire…and more families like ours will be torn apart if my brother and sister aren't stopped. You have to help me."

His niece's breathing was heavy and ragged as she wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. She took a deep breath to steady herself before speaking, her voice hoarse. "There's not much I can tell you, Ojisama... I don't spend that much time around the family, for a long time now. It's hard to be around them and so I stay here at the Academy. It's why I took this post originally."

"But...I can tell you what I've been hearing from the few contacts I do keep. They say that Tsuneo-jisama and Midori-basama have been bringing together large numbers of reiatsu-strong children over the past decade in secret. They've been collecting them in one of the Matsumura-ke's larger retainer territories out in the Rukongai. What they're planning is not clear but I can only assume they're creating their own private force of shinigami. I can assume that's why the clan wanted Rei so badly. Her reiatsu is...exceptional."

"She's just like her mother..." Shiro mused over the new information in silence for a moment before turning away. "I'll look into it. Thank you, Natsuki."

"Ojisama..." He felt her follow him, catching him by the hand and clinging on. As he looked back at her, he saw the small scared little girl she used to be rather than the grown woman she'd become. "What do I do now...? I don't want to see more people die but I can't bring myself to oppose the clan. Please...tell me."

"Don't do anything, Natsuki. I don't want to see you get hurt. I'll handle this matter and try and neutralise this problem before it can escalate out of control...and I'll do it without having to kill any more of our kinsmen." Shiro smiled slightly, trying to reassure his niece. "I'll get to the bottom of this, Natsuki. Don't you worry."

And then he left, leaving the dojo and sliding the door shut with a snap. He sighed heavily. _Natsuki... Poor girl... _It was his fault for her current problems. The sound of a woman clearing her throat made him turn, finding a familiar figure leaning against the wall, arms folded across her chest. Deep sea-green eyes gazed at him through a fringe of auburn hair.

"Did you find out what you needed, Shiro-kun?"

"I did, thank you…" He yawned, stretching widely as Tsubaki Unohana pushed off from the wall, walking with him as he started for the infirmary. The young woman moved with the poise and grace he associated with his sensei, Retsu Unohana, only the auburn hair and slightly more petite features making them different from each other. Though she was two generations after his sensei, her reiatsu strength was powerful and he knew from experience that only a fool mistook her outer peaceful exterior for a true reflection of her fighting abilities.

"You want to see that girl now? Rei Mikihara? How can you think of other women while I'm here…?" She grinned playfully at him and he returned it unconsciously. Despite rebuffing her on several occasions as gently as he could, for fear of the wrath of both Unohana-sensei and Kirio, the younger woman seemed to enjoy making playful flirtatious comments or actions towards him.

"Oh very well…" Linking her arm with Shiro's, they walked on, passing by groups of students who bowed low to Tsubaki as she went. Passing through the main sunny courtyard under the sakura blossoms, they came to the large double doors with the infirmary sign printed over the entrance. The master of the academy placed a slender hand on the dark wood. "Alright then, Shiro-kun. Let's go see your girl then."

--

She felt that familiar presence again. Rei sat up in an instant, jerking awake and eyes opening to find two figures standing before her bed. It wasn't Yugito and Kaoru this time though. A man and a woman…with very powerful spiritual pressures. _Shiro and Unohana-sensei._

"Hey… Relax. No sudden movements now, Mikihara-san. You'll open your wounds up again that I spent time fixing."

"I'm sorry, Unohana-sensei…!" Rei flushed slightly, making a conscious attempt to relax and failing. Shiro mock-glared at the woman as she fought to hide her laughter behind a hand and she turned away, walking off in the direction of the other patients.

"It's alright. I'll leave you and her to talk in private then, Shiro-kun."

Rei watched Shiro wave the academy master away before he turned his blank gaze on her. Even though his expression was cheerful, she caught the hint of something darker in his presence. It seemed he was as troubled as she was though probably by less trivial matters than her own mental instability. "So how are you feeling, Rei? How are your wounds healing?"

"I'm…alright, I guess." She flexed her body, feeling a slight burning sensation across her torso where her various cuts were still healing. She winced but nodded wearily, mumbling her reply. "I've been better I suppose. I've been cut many times before but never have my injuries hurt so much. The way that man's sword moved seems to have inflicted more damage than a normal cut…"

"Yes…the Matsumura-ke is proud of their sword abilities, perfected over years of cutting down enemies on the battlefield. Even experienced swordsmen struggle to defeat their style. But Misaki will teach you how to develop the abilities you already have so maybe next time you'll be able to match it." Shiro paused, considering her for a moment before smiling weakly. "Well I'm glad to see you're alright. That's the important thing."

"Thank you…" It was strange to think that someone cared, considered her well being to actually be of importance. She'd seen so much disgust or hate or antipathy directed at her, from her father as he'd walked away or her owners between the rise and fall of the whip. Even at the academy from those of noble birth, she couldn't escape them. Yet there was genuine concern on Shiro's expression as he looked at her. It was…strange.

"Was my…mother really that important to you, Shiro? I mean…" She paused to think about what she wanted to say before continuing. "I've caused a lot of trouble, for you and for others who've now had to conflict with your clan…and you didn't have to. Even my father didn't care enough to not give me away yet you fought people when you hardly even know me…"

Shiro looked reflective for a moment, considering her question. "Your mother was a very important person to me, Rei. We trained together and she served as my lieutenant for a very long time. But more than that, she was a close friend and confidant. When you were born, Asuka asked me to take care of you if anything happened to her and I'd do anything for her. You could say it's my duty to look after you now, Rei."

"Anyway…I've got to get going now, Rei. Now that I've checked you're alright and recovering, that's a lighter load on my mind. After I'd se…heard about what happened to you, I was worried your injuries were more serious than they really were." He ruffled her hair slightly, the physical gesture feeling strangely comfortable, before starting to turn and leave. "There's nothing else you want to say, is there, Rei?"

"Well...thank you, Shiro." Rei fell silent. She considered mentioning the strange bursts of uncontrollable rage that kept taking over her when pushed to her limits, wanting to ask whether it was something that happened to others or if she was just…strange. But she pushed the thought aside. He didn't need to be bothered by her own personal matters when she'd already caused him enough problems.

She shook her head, offering a weak smile. Then he left the infirmary and she was left alone again in the infirmary. After that, she'd settled down to some of her written work, willing herself to struggle through it without going mad and suffocating herself with her pillow. By the time the sun went down and the infirmary started going dark, she sighed heavily and tossed aside her work on the Human World for Yosuda-sensei.

Pushing away her table, she closed her eyes and lay back into the pillows. It had been nice, getting visits from her…friends. It was another alien concept to her. She'd never really had friends. She'd stuck by her mother for the earlier part of her life and then in the arena, there were no real friends, only comrades who could be trying to kill you the next day. But now there was Yugito and Kaoru…and maybe those other classmates, Soujirou, Misato and Toushirou. And Shiro…

Rei shook her head. Would she ever be able to live a normal life? She tried so hard to fit in, act like just another one of the students that lived at the Academy yet things just kept happening to her; her inner uncontrollable rages, the ambush by members of the Matsumura clan… But even recycling these thoughts over and over in her mind couldn't sustain her and soon she drifted off, sinking into sleep and a temporary state of peace.


	9. Loss of Mind

There was a draft blowing through the open window. It was a chilly wind against her bare skin and she tugged at the covers to try and wrap it around herself. A particularly strong gust blew and the thin material was swept off her, sliding off the edge of the bed. Groaning slightly, she rolled over, eyes opening slowly as she groped around to try and find it. Then she sat up suddenly, rubbing her eyes furiously to clear her vision, looking around to find herself not in the infirmary…but her old house.

_What the…?_

Rei slid off her bed, feeling the polished wood floor panels beneath her feet, dust as if no one had been here for a while. She clutched at her underclothing as she moved over to the chair near her bed to find her Academy uniform folded there. She pulled it on slowly, still trying to comprehend what was going on. The last thing she could remember was falling asleep in the Academy infirmary and then she'd woken up here, a place she hadn't seen for years.

Tying her sash around her waist, she looked around, taking in the place that had once been her room. The room was dark, the pale light of the moon just shining in through the lone window. Apart from the bed and the chair, the room was bare. As she breathed out, a mist emerged from her lips.

Tentative steps carried her to the door, pushing it and letting it swing open to reveal the corridor beyond. It too was deserted and dark. Despite her uncertainty as to what was happening, she felt herself moving forward, walking along and passing door after door, looking for some sign of life. Nothing… Not even a whisper. Her footsteps echoed loudly as her bare feet padded along.

"Hello…? Anyone here…?"

She tried to sound confident but her voice shook slightly, only coming out as a whisper. Her voice carried throughout the place but not being met by response. The silence unnerved Rei. She could feel something was very wrong here but couldn't place it. All she knew was that the hairs on the back of her neck were standing up and her heartbeat was pounding in her ears.

In her peripheral vision, she suddenly caught slight of a flash of light. She whipped around in time to catch a glimpse of…'something' disappear around the corner behind her. As it went, she thought she heard…laughter. It wasn't friendly laughter but a harsh, cold sound that made her shiver. Regardless, she broke into a jog, hurrying to where she'd see the something only for it to whip around another corner, disappearing from sight.

Rei sprinted after it, rounding the corner but then coming to a halt, eyes widening in shock. "No…" She was breathless as she ran to the fallen bodies of Misato and Soujirou. Kaien's body was a few metres away. She pressed her fingers to Misato's neck, then the other two, her breathing becoming fast and shallow. They were dead. They had no pulse and weren't breathing. Their white uniforms were soaked through with blood where a sword had cut them down. Their asauchi lay just out of reach of grasping hands.

_No… This isn't happening. What is this…? _Though she wasn't 'that' close to either Soujirou or Misato, the shock of finding them dead was making her hands shake, not just that they'd been killed but she had no idea how or when this had happened. And then there was Kaien too… Was it that thing she'd seen that had done this? Her hand closed on one of the asauchi, gripping it tight as she rose. Holding it ready, she sprinted after the thing, seeking it out again.

Her breath slowed as she tried to focus herself, still fighting to suppress the images of the dead bodies of her classmates from her friend. She held her blade ready, wandering the empty corridors and trying to catch another glimpse of that being that kept appearing and disappearing. _There again…!_ She spun on the spot, raising her blade but it passed her by again. She ran after it, rounding a corner, then another, kicking open a door and hurrying through. It was darker still inside, fewer windows creating deeper shadows in the narrower passageway.

At the end of the corridor, the figure stood, regarding her for a moment before moving off again. It was heading towards the main hall of the house. She sped up, breaking into a run but catching her foot on something, tripping and crashing down. She found something lying just before her eyes and she blinked, forcing her night vision to allow her to make out the object in front of her. Slowly, a face became visible and she had to choke back a cry of surprise. _Yugito…No…_

The strong girl who she had always thought was indestructible, lay face down, head turned towards where Rei lay. The fierce expression that she wore while fighting was fixed on her face, streaked with blood. A blade had been driven through her gut, the blunt blade rammed forcefully through the flesh to emerge from her back. And if Yugito was here then the one she had just stumbled over must be…

_Please no…_She didn't want to look but knew she had to. She knew what…'who' would be lying there even as she wished with every fibre of her being that she were wrong. She was not. Rei had to fight down tears as Kaoru's innocent features became illuminated by the moonlight. Her eyes were wide and staring, fear and surprise etched on her face as her final expression she'd died with. It was too cruel, that the girl who'd avoided fighting and hated having to do anything that might cause harm to be killed in such a manner.

Rei's body shook violently with barely suppressed grief. Then she couldn't take it any more. She screamed, letting it all out in a single cry that sounded throughout the house, echoing throughout the empty corridors. She lashed out, punching the wall hard in her frustration again then again. Her knuckles were bloody and raw but did nothing to distract her from her own emotional turmoil.

Then she took some deep breaths, fighting to regain her control. She gripped her blade tight to try and stop her hands shaking. She had to lean heavily on it to stand, staggering onwards. After she sorted this out, she'd come back and somehow arrange a proper…something for them. They couldn't be left there like that. But first…they had to be avenged.

Rei broke out into the main entrance area now, leading onto the central hall. The massive double doors stood slightly apart and inside she could see flickers of light. She hurried over to them, free hand ready to push it open before hesitating. Whatever was inside could have been the thing that killed all her friends and classmates, students who were better than her at kidou or kenjutsu or just fighting in general… There was no way she could defeat whoever or whatever was inside.

But that didn't matter… They had to be avenged. Closing her eyes, she could still see their faces staring at her. She couldn't block them out while their killer was unpunished. Her foot kicked both the doors wide open and charged inside, asauchi drawn back and ready to cut down the figure that awaited her. Pale light bathed the vast room before her as her eyes took in the person before her, her breath stopping in her chest as she tried to speak.

"What is this…?"

The entire back wall had been replaced by a towering mirror. She could see the hall and the door she'd just entered through reflected back towards her. And she was there too…yet her reflection that stood where she was standing was not identical. Instead of seeing a figure clad in the uniform of an Academy student, carrying Misato's blunt asauchi in her hand, the girl before her was wearing the ragged black shihakushou she'd worn as a slave. A blood-stained katana was held loosely in her hand and as she looked up through a messy fringe, there was a cruel grin on her face and a gleam in her narrowed eyes. Blood streaked her face from where enemies' blood had sprayed from them as she cut them down.

"What's wrong, Rei? You seem to be speechless for some reason..." The fake-Rei rested her blade across her should, still wearing that same expression that was almost opposite to the confused, grief-stricken look she wore. Even her voice was the same as that which emerged from her own lips. "Is this not a true reflection of yourself? Are you not a killer and leave death and destruction in your wake wherever you go?"

"No! I'm not!" Her voice came out desperate, defiant. "That's not me. I never wanted to do any of what I did. I didn't want to fight or kill anyone. I didn't ever want to hurt them..."

"Don't lie! You can't lie to me, Rei. I know you better than you know yourself. Maybe you keep trying to pretend that you hate what you do but deep down, you that you're good at it and that brings you satisfaction. When you fight, did you know you wear an expression just like this?" The fake-Rei's grin widened still further, running a thumb along her blade, causing the blood to run again. "Deep down, you love to kill. And when you run out of enemies, your blade will cut down anyone who comes within reach."

"You don't mean…"

"Yes. It wasn't me who cut down those students back in the corridors you passed by but you. Their blood is on your hands. They got in your way and so you took your blade and cut them down."

Rei felt her hands growing wet. Looking down, raising them to her eyes, she found them both stained red with blood. It was still warm. Her white uniform was suddenly streaked with fresh blood stains too.

"No…you're lying! You bitch! Shut your mouth, you fucking bitch! That's a lie!" Rei's fists tightened and she marched right up to the mirror, raising her blade towards the fake-Rei. Her voice was weak, lacking in conviction. She couldn't remember doing it but she couldn't confirm that she hadn't either. Her memory was a haze; a confused mass of mixed up thoughts and flashes. "Take it back! Now!"

The fake-Rei closed her eyes for a moment, head lowered as if thinking it over for a moment. Then her shoulder began to shake with laughter. Rei stepped closer to shut her up when the other girl's eyes suddenly snapped open, flames burning within them. She hesitated for a moment but in that split-second, the fake-Rei's fist exploded out of the mirror and struck her hard across the face, throwing her backwards so she crashed down hard on the ground.

She started to rise but a solid kick to the back of the head slammed her back down to the floor. _What…?_ She looked up to see her reflection in the mirror to see herself lying on the ground and the fake-Rei standing over her, one foot on her back. But she was no longer alone.

Her former slave masters, her father, the other noble students at the academy who still treated her as worthless as the dirt on the bottom of their sandals...they all stood around her. Then it began, the beating as they punched and kicked her…and the taunting, accusations of her as a murderer, a killer, who enjoyed what she did and took satisfaction in cutting down anyone and everyone who she came across.

_No… That's not me. It's not true. They're wrong._

Rei curled up into a ball, feeling blows land on her again and again. Her sword was in her hand. Through the mass of striking limbs, she saw the light gleam off the blade of the asauchi. The edge of the blade flared with light, burning with razor sharpness. Looking up, she could see the fake-Rei, watching her, grinning down at her. The asauchi was so light in her hands, the distance between them so short. Rei's blade cut through the air.

The fake-Rei was still grinning as her blade went through her chest, burying to the tsuka. All at once, the mass of people around her vanished. Her breathing was fast, her heart pounding. She looked down at the blade in her hands but something was wrong. It was…the other way around. Rei opened her mouth to speak but suddenly found she couldn't breathe, coughing up blood instead as her hands rose weakly for the sword driven through her own chest.

With a single motion, the fake-Rei withdrew the blade and Rei crashed to the floor, clutching a hand weakly to the deep wound now bleeding heavily. The fake-Rei squatted beside her, resting on the bloodied sword. "Face the truth, Rei. You're a killer, a murderer and you're going to Hell. You're going to burn, Rei, and there's nothing you can do about it."

As if on cue, flames suddenly erupted on all sides, engulfing the house and setting everything ablaze all around her. Rei tried to move but she couldn't, her muscles suddenly refusing to react. A curtain of flames seemed to fall between her and the fake-Rei. Through the dancing fire, she caught sight of the other girl, wreathed in fire. Maybe it was just her hazy, disrupted thought patterns or her suddenly blurred vision but great wings of flames seemed to rise from the fake-Rei's back before she was lost from sight.

And then the flames reached her and she felt pain beyond anything she'd ever felt before. The heat scorched her skin and her lungs were filled with smoke. She thought she was going to die. _No… I am going to die…I'm sorry, everyone…_

"I'm sorry!"

Her eyes snapped open as she sat up. _Sat up…?_ Rei blinked slowly, looking around. She was…back in the dormitories. There was the sound of early morning birds chirping outside…and light snoring from the other two girls sleeping in the room. Rei looked at herself up and down. She was alive and intact. The only injuries on her body were the ones that she'd gained from her night time patrol and were almost completely healed over from her time in the infirmary. _Was it a…dream then?_ She'd never know a dream to be so vivid…or painful.

"You damn well better be, Rei-chan…"

Rei looked around to see Yugito roll over in bed, slipping over the edge and then crashing onto the floor, accompanied by a number of very unladylike curses and swearing. Running a hand through her long, tangled hair, she looked up at Rei through sleepy eyes. "What the hell's up with you then? Bad dream?"

"You're alive…" Rei's voice was hesitant as she struggled to believe it. It was a challenge to not make it into a question.

"Yeah…I'm still alive though Kuchiki-sensei's lesson yesterday took me close to getting my asauchi and stabbing myself in the throat with it." Yugito looked at her strangely. "Are you alright, Rei-chan? You look really pale. Maybe you should go see Unohana-sensei or someth…"

She stopped speaking as Rei suddenly leapt forward, an arm around her and hugging her close. Kaoru, who'd somehow woken up and stood alongside them, was caught by her too. "You're both still alive…"

"Well…yeah, Rei-chan. You expected otherwise?" Yugito scratched her head in thought, letting Rei have her moment before stepping back. "Nevermind… Anyways, we're not going to be able to go back to sleep now so we might's well get ready." Stretching widely, she shrugged off the top half of her jinbei and then kicking away the bottom half of her sleeping ware. As she padded around naked, trying to find her uniform, Rei noticed the web of scars that marked her body. They were all old and healed over, marring the otherwise smooth skin. It had seemed Yugito's life before they came here had been just as bad if not worse than her own. _Was she the same...? Did she get nightmares like mine...?_

Kaoru too. Though her injuries were much more subtle, the harm done to her by her former owners was no less intense or unforgettable. Her scars were just not there on the surface for everyone to see. Perhaps the smaller girl had been shy and quiet before but her ordeal had shattered whatever confidence she might have once possessed. While Yugito managed her past pains by being louder and more forceful than those around her, Kaoru had drawn inwards on herself, clinging to the shadows of those stronger than her. And then there was Rei herself... How did she manage it all? How did she move on from her past life? By continuing to kill...? _Have I even moved on?_

Rei sighed heavily, stripping down and then wrapping fresh rolls of material around her body, pulling on the plain blue-striped white uniform on and securing it all with the sash. She ran her hands through her long dark hair, slowly braiding it into a long ponytail before reaching down for her blade, resting against her bed. Her hand stopped an inch away from it, hesitating before her hand could close around it. Could she really pick up this blade again without eventually bringing her dream into reality? If she never took up her sword, surely it could never happen. She drew back, leaving the weapon where it was. If that's what it took to stop herself then that's what she'd give up; her swordsmanship.

She waited for the other two to get ready, then forcing a smile on her face. "Shall we go then, Kaoru? Yugito?"

--

"Captain! It's good to see you back. You're back now, right?"

Shiro grinned, shaking his head. Mitsuki sighed heavily, giving a despair-like sound and glancing over her shoulder to the 10th Division compound behind her and the people inside. It was night time and it was quiet. Aside from the sentries, the others would all be asleep in the barracks, leaving the two to talk in peace without being interrupted. Not that he had to visit his Division in secret but the fewer people that knew Shiro Matsumura was hanging around the Seireitei, the better. The Matsumura-ke had eyes everywhere, after all.

"So how are you holding up, Mitsuki-chan? The division isn't causing you too much trouble, are they? Or anyone else for that matter?"

"Oh they're being alright. I've just been kept very busy, that's all."_ A bit more than busy, from the looks of it_, he mused. There were bags under her eyes and her long black hair was messy and unkempt. She looked like she hadn't been able to grab a moment of sleep in weeks. Perhaps she hadn't. Knowing her, when she got into one of her moods of having to get things done, she could go on and on until her tasks were done and having to fulfill both the captain and lieutenant's roles on her own meant her job was doubled. Still, if anyone could manage, it was her.

She waved away Shiro's concerned look. "I'm serious, Captain. I'm perfectly fine. It's not so much the work that's keeping me up all the time but annoyance at that Captain Kyouraku's advances all the time. He either needs some self restraint or a lieutenant to keep him in line then."

"I'll have a word with him, Mitsuki-chan. I would hate to see you losing sleep because Shunsui can't keep his hands to himself." He grinned. Seemed Shunsui was up to his normal thing. Some things just never changed, even after a number of centuries...

"You don't need to concern yourself with such matters, Captain...but thank you." Mitsuki looked relieved before crossing her arms and returning to her serious business expression. "So what did you need me for? I'm assuming there was something specific and...delicate that needs doing for us to meet in person like this."

"There is. We just have to wait a moment for someone to arrive...and he seems to be here finally." Shiro inclined his head to the dark alleyway behind him, Mitsuki looking around too, following his gaze. A figure detached from the shadows, moving forward with powerful strides. Even so, the set of the man's shoulders and the slight limp in his step betrayed his advanced age, even though the hood drawn over his face concealed his greying hair. Glaring eyes viewed Shiro as the man came to a halt just outside of the light. Mitsuki's hand reached unconsciously for her zanpakutou, feeling the hostile nature in the newcomer's aura.

Shiro waved a hand to stop her. "It's alright, Mitsuki-chan. He's here to...help. Right, Hitoshi-san?"

"Not to help 'you', Shiro. I'm here because Mitsuba-sama wished strongly that the information you wanted be passed along. If it were up to me, I would leave you to your fate but your father's dying wish was that I do whatever his youngest daughter asked of me."

Hitoshi continued to look darkly at him but he ignored it. It was something he was used to after so many years. Though many of Matsumura-ke hated him for the actions he took during the course of the civil war, Hitoshi was one of those who had disliked him even before then for his wayward behaviour. What happened afterwards had only intensified their differences. But Shiro ignored it because as much as the old man caused him problems, he looked after his youngest sibling, Mitsuba.

Of his four siblings, she alone had remained close to him, untainted by the heavy sense of clan honour and pride that made the family members arrogant and stubborn. But her purity was instead tainted by disease, her happy nature masking for her body's weakness. And because of that, she needed to be looked after constantly. While he visited his little sister often, his duties as a captain of the Gotei 13 meant he had to rely on Hitoshi to handle her needs for the majority of the time.

"Yes, yes... But Mitsuba-chan is helping me. Either way, I don't care. Do you have the information or not?"

The older man looked like he had a retort ready but then stopped, slapping a roll of parchment into Shiro's hand and turning to go without a word. Shiro waved a hand after him as the man disappeared into the darkness. "Say hi to my sister and tell her thanks."

Then he was gone, leaving Mitsuki and Shiro along again. His lieutenant was staring after Hitoshi, fists clenched and looking like the slightest spark would send her bounding off after him. Shiro rested a hand on her shoulder to stop her and she looked around at him, eyes still burning with anger. He laughed slightly at her furious reaction as she spat, trying to keep her voice down but it still remaining laden with venom. "I can't believe he dared talk to you like that, Captain... Just give me the word and I'll sort him out."

"Whoa there, wildcat. It doesn't matter so just leave it. Here's what I asked you to meet me about." He held up the parchment, unrolling it to reveal long list of names written in an elegant, curly hand. Mitsuki leaned in closer to take a look in the dim light. Shiro passed it to her. "I asked my little sister to go find and list all the retainer clans with enough territory to hold training grounds for a private army. I haven't been able to keep up to date with all of them but Mitsuba often has all the accounting work forced on her by our siblings so she knows...nearly everything when it comes to those matters."

"And what do you want me to do with these, Captain?" She sounded curious as she studied the list, checking off each, one by one.

"Raid, investigate...that sort of thing. I don't need you to get too involved but just use the Division's manpower to narrow down my search. The clans are lower-ranked so they shouldn't be able to put up too much resistance against the Gotei 13. If you act fast enough, you can carry out the majority of the searches before the Matsumura-ke can step in and force you out. Think you can do that?"

"Of course, Captain."

She saluted but he shook his head. "This isn't an official order, Mitsuki, but a favour. I wouldn't ask if I didn't have to but without substantial evidence, I can't bring this to Yamamoto-sensei and I can't cover that much ground on my own and time is limited. I'm currently not your captain so I can't order you to do anything but I'm asking you to do this because Soul Society might be in great danger and so I…we have to do this."

Mitsuki held up a hand to forestall him speaking further. "You don't have to explain yourself to me, Captain. Even if the Gotei 13 strip you of your rank, you're still my captain and I trust you more than anyone. If this is what you want then I'll do it. I doubt any one of the division would have any hesitations either...not that I can say this is on your orders...but I'll think of something." A mischievous expression reached her features at these words.

Shiro felt a similar look reach his face, not even trying to imagine what scheme she had brewing but anything that got his lieutenant excited like that would be quite interesting. "I don't doubt that. I can hardly wait to see what you've got planned, Mitsuki-chan."


	10. Unseen Enemies

The lieutenant of the 10th Division sighed heavily as she pulled off lieutenant's badge, setting it on the table beside her bed. She slipped her zanpakutou out of her sheath and set it aside, resting it on the stand next to her bed. It was dark in her private room in the officers' barracks, the windows closed with only a slight crack allowing moonlight to illuminate it.

They'd remained closed since the early morning when she'd dragged the division out of their bunks and given them their orders to dispatch them all across Soul Society under the command of her officers. She herself had led the 1st Squad to the largest retainer compound but before she could take a closer look, members of the Matsumura-ke had appeared and managed to force her out.

Normally, she wouldn't have been cowed so easily but for some reason, the man's presence had…scared her and seemingly as if he were there, she'd heard her captain's voice in her head telling her not to take any reckless risks like taking him on. As she'd led her people away, she'd heard a name; Tsuneo.

She stretched her arms out wide, yawning. Despite initial setbacks, she'd conducted the rest of her searches, most turning up nothing but a select few having trace amounts of reiatsu release that made her suspicious, noting them down for her captain. It had been long past the evening meal when all the squads returned, hers getting back last.

Grabbing a small bite to eat, she'd hurried back to her room, seeking the peace and quiet provided by it. Her shihakushou slipped off her shoulders, dropping to the floor and then kicking off her hakama. She fiddled with the light fabric of her underwear, letting it unravel and then moved across the room to find her sleeping jinbei. Running her hands along her bare skin, she glanced over her shoulder to the darkest corner of the room.

"If you were going to wait to speak up before I got completely nude…you left it a bit late, Captain."

"I kept my eyes closed the entire time, Mitsuki-chan." Shiro emerged from the shadows, unfolding his arms and sitting on the end of her bed. "Well okay…maybe that gesture, isn't so significant for me… But anyway…how did your mission today go?"

Mitsuki turned to look at him properly, resting her hands on her hips, eyebrows raised and with her jinbei clung lightly in her fist. "It went well, of course, Captain. I basically had some of the fastest runners in the Division break into each of the compounds and then sent in our people under the pretence of trying to arrest escaped fugitives. It gave us the perfect opportunity to turn the places inside out. This worked for the majority of the places, until we reached the Kurayama-ke's compound. As we were about to go in, some members from the Matsumura clan turned up."

"Your clan is really scary, Captain. I think I met your brother, Tsuneo, too. He led the Matsumura party that turned up to stop us." She paused, musing over something before continuing. "Something about the way he spoke just compelled me to back off, probably his reiatsu... Just standing near him was enough to make me sweat. If I'd have attacked him, I don't think it would have ended up well. Funnily enough, when I was considering doing so, I heard your voice in my head telling me not to."

Shiro grinned. "Well I must've told you so many times now not to take stupid risks that it's now been drilled into your brain. And this time around, it was a smart choice. If you'd have gone against Tsuneo, you'd have gotten yourself hurt. So I'm glad to see you're alright."

"I am and I got what you wanted." She pushed past him, bending down to reach into her discarded uniform and producing another piece of parchment from inside it. He took it, looking over it once. His list of 34 locations had been narrowed down to just 3. _Much better…_ He folded it up and tucked it away in an inner pocket.

"You always have what I want." His lieutenant flushed slightly, looking away with a small contented smile on her face as Shiro stood up, easing the window open and resting on the ledge. "I'll leave you to put some clothes on now before you catch a cold. And get some sleep already. If you collapse from fatigue, I'm putting you on charge. But…this was a great help, Mitsuki-chan. Thank you."

He started to move off but caught a concerned look on her face that made him pause. "I wish I could do more. This isn't right. You shouldn't be doing this on your own. I became your lieutenant so I could help you in all situations. If you get…hurt, I'll have failed in my duties."

"Your duty right now is to the division, Mitsuki-chan, not me and I need you to look after it while I'm gone." He gave her his reassuring look. "Besides, I'm a grown-up. I can take care of myself and…I'll make sure I have backup. So don't worry. I'll be fine."

--

"You can just copy Kaoru's homework, you know, Rei-chan? "

Rei waved Yugito off as she picked up her brush again, dipping it into her black ink and scribbling a few more notes on her roll of parchment. Yugito gave a large yawn, ignoring the stares of the librarian and some of the other students. Kaoru had already headed off for bed though the other girl had stuck around, flicking scrap bits of paper across the desk and doodling on the few she didn't play with. Pushing back her chair, she stood up and slapped Rei on the back.

"Fine then, sensei's pet. I'll leave you to it. You just have fun here while I go sleep. Good night, Rei-chan."

She nodded, turning over another page in her heavy book, running a finger down a column of writing as she tried to comprehend what she was reading. Mifune-sensei had set several chapters to work from the textbook on the properties of reishi and its uses. It didn't make a whole lot of sense to her but she was determined of two things; that she'd force herself to understand everything taught to her at the Academy and that she'd do it on her own without having to hassle anyone else, not her sensei nor her classmates.

_Sekkiseki stone…Spirit-reducing stone that negates the ability to manipulate reishi energy. This prevents the ability to use kidou, gather reishi under the feet to walk in the air or release zanpakutou…_ Rei scratched the back of her head, blowing her loose fringe out of her eyes. Well…she couldn't do any of those things so they weren't much threat to her. She noted it down anyway before throwing down her brush, leaning back and stretching wide. It was getting late and as much as she wanted to keep working, her body felt tired

For the past week, she'd been coming to the academy's vast library to study her theory to try and catch up on the work she'd missed, staying until late into the night. She didn't necessarily need to do well in her written work from what Misato had told her, since her practical sword skills, unarmed combat and kidou were good enough to qualify her to move up to the next year with her current progress.

But there was something about actually being good at things that didn't involve hurting people that appealed to her. Moreover, she'd been avoiding using her asauchi these days, or even carrying it, the flashes of her nightmare still raw in her mind. She didn't need to cut people down to advance in life when there were so many other channels of progress.

"Another late night then?"

Rei leapt slightly, looking up from her book to find another girl standing there, looking at her through rounded glasses. A heavy book rested in her hands, which she set onto the table alongside a long asauchi blade. Brushing aside her pigtails, she took a seat opposite Rei at the desk as the latter moved her books around to clear space for her.

"I'm sorry. I don't believe we've met before."

"Yadoumaru. Lisa Yadoumaru of Class 2. I usually come here every night but recently I've noticed you staying here late too." She offered a hand and Rei took it, shaking it. She leaned over, peering at the books. "Reishi theory and application… Mifune-sensei, huh? How's that going?"

"Slow…" Rei gave a tired smile. It was nice to meet a friendly face once in a while, when most were nobles who turned their nose up at the first sight of her. It seemed that Lisa was another former Rukongai inhabitant too though. "But I'm getting there. I figure if I put in the hours, the results will just come out eventually."

"Interesting philosophy. Is it working for you?"

"Well…I like to think it does." Rei closed her books, closing her eyes for a moment. "At one point in my life, I was heading down a bloody path that would've ended in my death very shortly. But someone saved me and gave me a second chance to do something worthwhile with my life."

She looked back over her shoulder, through the large windows behind through which the full moon shone, bathing a section of the library in pale light. "I figure the least I can do now is do my best and eventually make him proud that he put his faith in me, wherever the hell he is now."

--

"This is the last one, Shiro. You sure about this?"

"I can sense the suppressed reiatsu better than you." Shiro looked over at the shadow that followed him. Apart from the yellow eyes, the dark skin and black outfit of Shindo Shihouin made him almost invisible as the pair advanced under the cover of darkness. Now crouched on the ridge of the hill overlooking the central compound of the Kurayama-ke, Shiro outlined their plan for insertion.

"Alright, Shindo. Here's how this is going to work. We're going in to look for any signs or evidence that the Matsumura-ke are attempting to put together an illegal private army, primarily drawn from reiatsu-strong children they've captured. We just need enough to bring this to the attention of the Gotei 13 and the Central 46 so they can carry out their own investigation. We're going to split up once inside and meet up back here in exactly one hour. Everything else…you know the normal drill."

"Of course, Shiro. Sounds easy enough. I'll be seeing you later then." Shindo smirked behind his mask before flipping over the edge of the hill and then becoming swallowed up by the darkness. Shiro shook his head. Shindo wasn't his first choice for a partner but with his options limited and many of his old contacts too close to the Matsumura-ke to contact without raising suspicions. And so he'd had to branch out to one of his comrades from the civil war from the Shihouin-ke. Besides, when it came to sneaking and stealth, there was none more suited an ally.

He dropped down into the shadows too, moving swiftly and silently through the undergrowth, using his altered sight to find his way in the blackness. He could see the flow of reiatsu around him, far higher in this area than it should be for a settlement without shinigami and concentrated in the centre. And it was raw and wild…untrained. It was the kind of presence fresh recruits at the Academy gave off.

It was quiet, most of the inhabitants deep asleep in their beds as expected of a normal clan. There were the occasional few midnight wanderers but nothing that could bother him, slipping away into the shadows in time to avoid detection. He passed through the outer living quarters, passing into the inner ring of rooms and then stepping out onto the large training ground in the middle where the strongest reiatsu could be sensed…and there was nothing there.

Melting into the shadows, he frowned, trying to identify the reiatsu and its source. Could it just be the aftermath of people who had been here but left already? No…it was still too strong just to be residual energies left over. There were people still here…

Focusing hard, he tried to lock on to the tendrils of energy, catching at the wisps left behind and attempting to follow them back to their sources. It was difficult, the elusive nature of their presences trying to be hidden in the first place making this far harder. _There..._ He grasped at one, following its path slowly as it wound here and there like a thin strand of thread. It twisted and turned, rising high before dropping straight down, into the ground...and then beyond it. _Underground? _

He placed his hand on the ground, pushing hard. It didn't budge. His hands traced over the surface of the training floor, brushing aside sand until his hand sank in deeper into it than before. A few inches more and his fist closed around a handle, twisting it and pulling to reveal a large trap door. Dropping down inside, he found himself in a lone stone passageway, lined with a number of locked doors with barred windows. There was deathly silence and as he stood there, he could feel something...wrong about the whole surroundings, like there was an oppressing mass weighing down on him.

Shiro shrugged it off, peering inside one of the cells and then another. The same seemed true for the other rooms. Each contained a teenage boy or girl, every one of them no stranger to combat and giving off powerful if raw auras of reiatsu. Blades rested alongside their beds and to Shiro's altered sight, he could identify them as some form of spirit blade, maybe asauchi. This seemed like evidence enough. He could return to the Captain-Commander and tell him about the hidden training facility, providing him with sufficient grounds to send in the Gotei 13.

Continuing down the corridor, Shiro found himself in a larger chamber, the walls lined with weapons and training statues. It seemed to be the main training hall where the young soldiers were taught how to fight. The blood staining the walls and floor stood testament to the furious nature of the fighting that had gone on there. The discarded bodies of a pair of teenagers sprawled at different parts of the room in pools of their own blood further emphasised this point.

A faint groan sounded from behind him and he whipped around, shifting into the darkness and staring in the direction of the sound. How could he have missed it so far? Something about this place was screwing with his senses, stopping him from picking out the figure of the room's other occupant. Staring through his altered sight, he made out the form of a girl chained up with arms spread wide on either side of her. She'd been heavily beaten, blood streaking her face and her dark blue shihakushou soaked red. A fringe of dark hair fell across her eyes as she looked at him through half-conscious eyes. She opened her mouth to speak but no sound came out.

"Damn it..." It was against his better judgement to deal with anything other than his primary objective of investigating the Kurayama-ke but he felt compelled to help her. _Maybe because she resembles Rei... _Her breathing was ragged and slow, her pulse weak. She wasn't going to last long and she seemed to know it too, meeting his gaze with dead eyes. He reached for the chains to pull her free when another voice spoke up behind him, another figure appearing out of nowhere beyond his sight.

"Well this is a surprise, Oniisama. For someone so obsessed with duty, I wouldn't have expected you to go out of your way to help some stray girl like that, especially one that means nothing to you." Shiro whipped around to find Tsuneo standing at the entrance, arms folded across his chest, smirking at him. "And I wouldn't bother with that one anyway. She's already lost so you might's well leave her there to die. There's nothing you can do for her."

The chains came apart in Shiro's hands as he eased the girl down to the ground. Her eyes stayed on him, staring at him...past him. With a last shuddering breath, her body went limp in his arms and he felt her spirit disperse outwards from her body. _Shit..._ Resting her down carefully, he ran a hand across her eyes to close them before standing to look at his brother, still leaning against the wall casually, regarding him with cold eyes. "Very touching, Oniisama. I'm sure she'll appreciate the sentiment."

"Tsuneo...you bastard." His fists clenched and unclenched. He wanted to reach across and crush the life out of his younger brother but resisted the urge. He needed to be focused and keep calm. More than that, he'd promised both himself and Natsuki that he would resolve this matter without further spilling of clan blood. As hard as that was to stick to, especially at this very moment, there was already enough blood on his hands. "What the hell do you think you're doing? What the hell are you…becoming to do something like this?"

His brother pushed off the way, walking closer and shrugging. "What am I becoming? I'm doing nothing more than following in your footsteps; forcing young children to fight for a cause other than their own. The Gotei 13 and the Central 46 have held on to their corrupt power for long enough thanks to people such as you who'd kill their own blood for the sake of Rukongai filth who think they rule themselves."

"Don't give me that shit. You don't care for such causes, do you, Tsuneo? You just want...revenge. Isn't that right?"

His brother's smirk widened slightly. "Of course. That's just the line to lure in supporters. Family is all that really matters. Clearly it was a lesson Otousama didn't teach you well enough. Blood can only be repaid by blood. And that's why when I was made aware that you would be coming here...I had to stop by. It's a shame Midori couldn't be here to share in this but I'm sure she'll get over it."

"You think...you can take me on...Tsuneo?" Shiro spoke confidently but the oppressing force that had been weighing down on him suddenly felt stronger. More than that, someone had told his brother that he was here. Mitsuba wouldn't have...but Hitoshi...? He took a step forward but he seemed to misjudge the distance, foot slipping slightly and having to catch himself. _What the hell...? What is happening to me...?_

"Having trouble there, Oniisama?" A blade glinted in the dark light of the underground chamber as Tsuneo walked closer, taking deliberately slow steps towards him. At first, he appeared to be advancing towards him but then changed direction to stand by the nearby wall. He tapped a finger against it. "You see this stuff? Sekkiseki stone which negates reiatsu and reishi energies. It's bad enough for someone with a strong spiritual pressure like us...but for someone who relies as heavily on it as you even to see...I imagine the effects are amplified even further. And another problem posed by such things would include..."

The wind surged behind him. Shiro half-turned before a foot was suddenly driven into the small of his back with crushing force. Blood exploded from his lips and he fell forward, crashing down hard on the ground. His breath came in sharp gasps, each one painful and causing him to cough up more blood. The world seemed to spin around him as he slapped down a hand and forced himself upright, fighting down the immobilising pain.

Another displacement of air and on instinct, he raised his forearms, taking a powerful kick across his guard and being propelled upwards, crashing back into the wall behind him. Tsuneo suddenly moved and Shiro just managed to shift his head aside in time to let a blade stab into the wall next to his head. It cut down, slicing into his shoulder but his own right arm swept up, pinning it there as he stabbed forward with his other fist, throwing his brother backwards.

Again, some invisible force came on. Shiro rolled across the wall, once then twice, letting a solid strike punch holes in the walls where his head had been momentarily. Another gust and a hand hammered into his chest, blasting him across the training chamber. He fell hard, rolling and coming up into a crouch. His hand clamped instinctively to his back where the original strike had come from. _Internal injuries... shit... Invisible enemies now too…?_

_No…It was that damned Sekkiseki stone again. The unseen assailant must've coated himself the stone dust, making him invisible to me…_But even with his presence shielded by the reiatsu-negating stone, he still displaced the air as he struck, making his moves still traceable…barely. But that was another hint as to the identity of his assailant. There were few people who could strike with that kind of speed and force and only one of them was close enough; Shindo Shihouin.

"Shindo…you traitor bastard…"

"So you worked that out then, Shiro." The voice came off from a few metres in front to the right. A rush and Shiro's arms swept in circular motions of a non-specific defence, parrying aside a pair of strikes, twisting aside and lashing out with a kick that cracked the wall behind. Before he could regain his stance, Tsuneo flashed forward, stabbing his sword through his thigh, pinning it to the wall.

He grit his teeth to fight down a scream of pain, punching upwards to stop the second sword cutting down, hitting his brother's wrist to make him release the weapon. It flashed in the air, spinning end over end but Tsuneo snatched it up again, cutting down and slashing a long line open down his forearm.

Shiro reached for the blade in his leg but it was suddenly wrenched free, slashing him across the face as he threw himself aside, leaving only a light scar across his cheek. Rolling over, he came to his feet once again. Blood ran from a series of cuts and from the edges of his mouth, which he wiped away furiously with the back of his hand. _If this goes on…I'm in trouble…I'm going to have to try something else…end this before I lose too much blood._

There was no point trying to rely on sight. He'd have to rely on his other senses. In most cases, only relying on every other sense was suicide but he didn't have much choice as the next attack came flying in, ripping the air apart before him.

No sight…only the sound of the faintest ripple of clothing and a fist meeting resistance as it swept through the air, the smell of a warm body closing in, tinged with the scent given off by the Sekkiseki stone. Shiro's hands rose before him, waiting, feeling for the trace of the fist's movement and its impact on the environment around it. The timing had to be perfect. Too soon and the attack would just redirect around his guard. Too late and the attack would kill him, especially in his weakened state. It had to be just perfect… _There…!_

His left hand made a sweeping motion just at the last moment to parry aside a killing fist, just as his right stabbed forward, all his strength gathered behind a the single blow. From nowhere, a pair of yellow eyes widened in surprise just as Shiro's fist punched through the enemy's chest, ripping through his body and exploding out his back in a shower of blood. Pulling back, Shiro slumped against the wall again as the body of Shindo Shihouin dropped to the ground, bleeding freely out onto the stone floor, his blood now washing away the Sekkiseki dust he'd covered himself in.

"Well well… That was quite something, Oniisama…" Tsuneo stepped out right in front of him, stabbing him in the gut with his sword. Shiro let out a gasp as he slid down the back wall, one hand clamped to his side as the toll of his wounds and the effort put into his single strike made his legs give way. "Even blind, disorientated and half dead you still managed to defeat someone as able as Shindo… Consider it a high point to end your career and life on."

Shiro glared but couldn't spit out a reply, his throat too choked up with blood. Tsuneo regarded him for a moment before raising the stained sword high above his head, preparing for the execution stroke. There was no chance for last words, no hesitation. The blade slashed down with deathly finality. Blood splashed across the wall and a body dropped heavily to the floor.

A pair of hands gripped Shiro's collar and hauled him aside even as the thrown body of Shido crumpled to the ground, blood flying free again where Tsuneo's sword had cut it open. Shiro looked around to see a female clad in the outfit of an onmitsu holding on to him, taking a firmer hold and then leaping away with him in her arms. Tsuneo moved to stop her but another figure appeared in the doorway, clad in the same outfit, raising a repeating crossbow n her hands an unleashing a hail of iron quarrels at him.

Tsuneo leapt backwards, sword flashing to block the projectiles but the moment's hesitation was enough for the first woman to drag Shiro away down the corridor to the opening that led to the outside. With a bound, they escaped the range of the Sekkiseki-suppressing aura and in a flash, Shiro's vision exploded back into existence in a surge of sensory stimulation.

The second girl fired another burst of quarrels before leaping up next to them, kicking the trapdoor shut and raising her hands and gathering her reiatsu now it was no longer suppressed by the Sekkiseki chambers.

"Bakudou #37! Tsuriboshi!"

A web of reiatsu spread out wide from her hands, ends fastening into the ground in a ring around the trapdoor. A hard impact pushed at the door put the elastic web stretched before springing closed again. Tsuneo attempted to open it again but the same results occurred.

"Come on, Anu-ue! Bakudou #26! Kyakkou!"

The woman holding him called to the other as she threw up a hand, drawing her own reiatsu together to compress it into a sphere around them, bending the light rays of the surrounding lamps and the moon above around them both, causing them to become invisible from view just as guards of the Kurayama-ke burst out into the area with drawn weapons. Forcing himself to keep quiet, despite the pain of his internal injuries, he let the two women grab him under each arm and leap away across the rooftops, carrying him with them until they were outside the compound and several kilometres away.

"Let's stop here."

Shiro's vision swam as one of the women knelt by his side, pulling off her mask and leaning over him with concerned eyes, shoulder-length dark hair falling like a curtain around her gentle face.

"You…made it then, Yuuki…?"

"Don't talk, Shiro-san, you idiot. How could you go in there without us getting here first, especially with only that weasel Shindo as backup. You knew he was bad business yet you still trusted him." Yuuki Ukitake's lips moved in a low mutter, her hands starting to glow with white light as she placed them against Shiro's chest, the healing spell struggling to sustain him.

"That's not good, Yuuki. We have to get him back to the Seireitei now." Sayuri Ukitake, Yuuki's twin sister, appeared on the edges of his vision, looking down at him, her own worry etched on her face. "Hold on, Shiro-san."

His vision was rapidly fading to black as he bled out faster than Yuuki could heal his wounds. He was losing sensation throughout his body and it was getting cold, not the kind he was used to but chill brought on by nearing death. He felt Sayuri grab hold of the front of his clothes, shaking him, screaming for him tough her voice sounded so distant as he began to fade.

"Shiro-san! Shiro-san!"


	11. Additional Training

"Hey...Rei, wake up."

"What...?"

Rei leapt in her seat as the doors of the library burst open, barely managing to cling on to their hinges as a sandaled foot crashed into them and a sword-wielding figure marched inside, head turning left and right, searching for something...or someone. The group of young female nobles gossiping near the entrance stumbled away, uttering apologies that fell on deaf ears as Misaki Kurogane hefted her zanpakutou across her shoulder. Karaishou glinted with dark light as the instructor's eyes locked on Rei.

"Mikihara!"

The sword instructor crossed the huge library in a flash, appearing before Rei, towering over her. Though she had seen many scary things in her short lifetime, the look in Kurogane-sensei's eyes made her recoil slightly, the woman's narrowed glare meeting her gaze and then dropping to her waist at the blade that rested there. It narrowed still further as it analysed the weapon. The girl shifted uncomfortably in her seat, waiting hesitantly to see what her instructor wanted.

"Draw your sword..."

"What...? Here? Are you sur...?" Rei's hand had moved instinctively to the blunt katana at her side but stopped before loosening it, her hand wrapped around the sheath. Drawing a weapon in the library...and this weapon too...?

"Don't make me repeat myself, Mikihara. Draw your sword..." The steel in Kurogane's voice compelled her to react immediately this time, bypassing her hesitation as her thumb flicked the blade free, her right hand drifting to the tsuka of her sword, fingers curling around it.

In one smooth movement, Kurogane's black sword rose, slashing down for a beheading strike at Rei. The katana cleared its sheath as she threw herself backwards in her seat, kicking off the desk, twisting away and bringing her blade up in time to guard. The zanpakutou cleaved through the weapon, the lesser metal giving way and sending the tip of it spinning away but managing to divert the attack into the desk, cleaving through it and cutting a deep groove along the floor. The shard from her katana drew a thin line of blood across Rei's cheek before stabbing down, point first next to Lisa's hand where it rested on her textbook.

There were hushed intakes of breath as everyone waited to see what was coming next. Rei had rolled to a crouch, the broken hilt of her blade held in a guard position before her, eyes focused on her instructor. Kurogane kept her blade aimed at her face for a moment before sliding it back into her sheath and turning away and starting to march off. The instructor paused, calling back over her shoulder to Rei.

"Come with me, Mikihara. Now. That's an order."

Rising slowly to her feet, Rei brushed down her uniform, her face still set as she set down the remains of her blade on the desk. She exchanged a look with Lisa across the table who merely adjusted her glasses and shrugged, offering her the thumbs up for good luck. Leaving her books, Rei hurried after Kurogane, keen not to anger the woman any further than she already was by wasting her time. Trailing behind her, they marched through the corridors, students backing themselves up against the walls to let them pass by. She wanted to ask what was going to happen now but every time she started to speak up, the woman seemed to growl slightly and Rei thought better of it.

At last, they came out into the outside training ground in the courtyard outside the main hall. A couple of third years were sparring but a bark from the instructor sent them scurrying away inside, leaving the place empty for her and Rei, the former walking to the centre of the courtyard and turning around to look at her, face set in an emotionless expression. A senior student hurried forward to hand her an object, bowing and then backing up and hurrying off. As Rei looked closer, she realised it was a sword. Kurogane threw it to her and she caught it instinctively without thinking.

Her eyes widened. The moment it slapped into her palm, she felt a searing heat and almost dropped the weapon. For some reason, her hand refused to open and she just found herself staring at the asauchi...'her' asauchi. Within the sheath, she could feel...sense a razor sharp edge along the katana blade. Her hand wrapped around the tsuka, gripping it tight but refusing to draw it just yet. When she drew her sword, people were hurt or died around her.

"Since you arrived at this academy and set foot in my training ground, Mikihara, I've felt a very strong spiritual presence around you. Though it's raw and untrained, there is a great power within you, as to be expected from the daughter of a former captain. On top of that, constant fighting in your earlier life has given you an innate foundation of using a sword. From there, training here has built on that to make you an able swordswoman."

Rei straightened up slightly at the mention of her mother and nodded, unsure how to respond to this...compliment? Kurogane continued, pacing up and down before her, hands clasped behind her back.

"The longer you've been here, the more your spirit has slowly started to come under control but you still have a lot of work in that department. Your spirit should have influenced your asauchi in its conversion into a zanpakutou at a faster rate than most academy students. So..." Kurogane was suddenly right in front of her, face inches away from her own as she spoke, voice low in a whisper. "Why...have you been leaving your asauchi behind in your room every day, Mikihara?"

Nothing. Rei opened her mouth to reply before closing it. What could she tell her instructor? That she was afraid of her sword? That she'd had a vision of her murdering all her friends? Or that when she fought properly, she was filled with a fighting spirit that compelled her to kill so much so that she lost control of herself?

"Must I repeat every order I give you, Mikihara?"

"No, sensei. I..." She took a deep breath, trying to order her thoughts but still struggling to put them into cohesive sentences. "It's this blade...and also myself. Over the years, I've killed so many people. More than I wish to count. And though I've been trying my best not to believe it, these days, I just can't help but believe that it's caused a...taint on my soul. Dreams...visions...the edge of my asauchi. The first time I used it, I almost cut Kaien-san down. The blood I've spilled has stained me and now it's become manifested in this sword."

She gestured with it, regarding the sheathed weapon. Her dark hair fell around her face as she shook her head, studying her feet. What the hell was she even saying? Taint... Dreams... She winced slightly, wondering how much Kurogane-sensei would berate her for wasting her time with such fanciful and ridiculous theories. Still...it would be nice to have an expert dispel her foolish notions about her problems and set her on the right path. Then...

"You are correct."

_What...?! No I'm not..._ Rei's head snapped up, eyes widening in sudden shock. She couldn't have heard her right. Her instructor was meant to deny it, to remove her fears, not confirm them. A cold sweat broke out across her brow and her mouth was dry as she opened her mouth to speak. "Are you...sure, sensei? Couldn't you be...mistaken or something?"

"Do you think I am mistaken?" The woman turned her dark eyes on Rei and she stopped, waiting to see what she said. Kurogane sighed heavily before speaking. "In the earlier years of the Gotei 13 founding, there was a lot of bloodshed between the new and older factions. Rather than fighting the Hollows, we were fighting ourselves, humans against humans. Some, primarily those who had been involved in the bloodiest of engagements found that later when going into battle, they suffered from fits of inexplicable rage or killing frenzies that they couldn't control, especially when pushed to their limits. Often, they got themselves killed... The rest..."

"From the moment I saw you fighting against Shiba, I knew you were one of those. It's easier for me to identify than other instructors here because I've witnessed it occurring in a number of my comrades while serving with Captain Matsumura." She paused for a moment. "I know because I myself suffered from it."

"Sensei...?"

"When we fight, our spirits rise, giving us greater strength and power. Our raw reiatsu is greater than a standard person but at the same time, it's more wild and uncontrolled. Obviously this is a danger to ourselves and those around us and so...we're going to have to sort you out before the Central 46 rule that you're too unstable. I suppose you're lucky it's me that picked up on this first. If it were a more hard-liner who'd discovered you, they'd have you put somewhere cold and dark for the rest of your life."

_What...?!_

Rei's eyes widened still further at this revelation before turning to think hard about that information herself, looking at her instructor with new eyes. Kurogane-sensei was like her. And more than that, she'd overcome this...infliction somehow. "What can I do, sensei? Please tell me."

"This is not something you can just rid yourself of, Mikihara. It's something you learn to adapt and control rather than let yourself be controlled by it. Originally, I was taught how to do this by the captain and since your well being seems to be a high priority to him, it seems only right that I attempt to do the same for you."

Kurogane raised her zanpakutou, levelling the black blade at Rei. "I will train you, Rei Mikihara. Both because you are my student and because I owe it to the Captain to do so. Prepare yourself. I intend to force you to your limits to draw out your inner raging spirit. And from there...well we'll see what happens. Depending on your situation at that point...I'll decide on the best course of action to deal with you. Hold nothing back. Don't seek to restrain your rage but let it come forth and take dominance in your mind."

"Here I come." A flash of black light and Rei's asauchi cleared its sheath, coming up in time to parry a furious strike from Karaishou. Another heavy strike and she was thrown backwards off her feet. She landed hard, rolling backwards and then coming to her feet in a low crouch, blade held ready. Her asauchi's normally blunt edge blazed with a gleaming razor edge. There was no time to think further about it. Kurogane was charging and with a scream, Rei threw herself forward, silver blade slashing to meet the black with a screech of metal.

--

"Ah... Stop poking. That hurts."

Shiro's altered vision slowly flickered back into being to find the face of Yuuki Ukitake screwed up in concentration with the sole task of continually prodding him in the arm with her finger until he came back to consciousness. He tried to lift a hand to wave her away but found he couldn't move his body, both because his right arm was being non-responsive and because reiatsu-imbued bandages had been applied extremely tight around his body, pinning it to his side. The woman grinned before stepping back. "Well you're still alive then, Shiro-san."

"Yes yes... You're very observant, Yuuki-chan..."

"We're allowed to tease you for a while now, Shiro-san. Since we saved your ass from those bastards." That was the sound of Sayuri on the other side though out of normal sight. He picked up her spiritual signature sitting on the chair by his bed. From the concentration of her reiatsu, she'd been sitting there a long time. Knowing her persistence for sticking by the nearest sick or injured person in her vicinity, honed over years of following Juushirou around, she had probably been there the whole time he was out.

"Fine... You girls get...one week to do that." Shiro tried to talk confidently but it was still slightly hard to breathe, like his chest was still crushed. It took him several moments before he could contain his coughing fit, muffled by the bandages across his mouth. "How long have I been unconscious anyway? Was I that heavily injured?"

"Are you kidding?" Yuuki suddenly appeared over him, leaning over with the tips of her long dark hair tickling his nose. "It's been over two weeks. You were pretty much dead, Shiro-san. It took Unohana-sama over an hour to stabilise your condition and even then it was touch and go."

"Right..." Now he was more lucid, he became aware of the pain throughout the rest of his body. Though his head swam with what must be every painkiller available to a fully stocked medical facility, his body still felt like it was on fire from where he'd been slashed open and struck by his brother and the traitor Shihouin. He thought it might just have been the end for him back there before the twins found him.

He'd been close enough to death's door on a number of occasions enough to judge when his injuries were serious enough that without emergency healing he'd have passed on. But then that was why these days he always had back-up prepared...and back-up for the back-up, which was where the younger sisters of Juushirou had come in.

Deciding to remain flat on his back, he sighed heavily and looked back up at the ceiling. That was a very familiar ceiling. He'd spent hours lying here looking up at it when he was still a young man, over a millennium ago, learning how to use a sword alongside Kirio-chan, when he'd broken something during training under the watchful eye of the dojo owner.

With a creak, the door swung open as that owner entered, her white haori flapping around her. If he didn't know better from many previous experiences, he might've been put at ease by her serene expression. Then her eyes opened to fix Shiro with her stern, unflinching gaze and the Captain of the 10th Division almost slipped off the edge of his bed as he flinched.

"Captain Matsumura... You have been getting into fights even now. I thought I taught you better than that."

"My apologies, Unohana-sensei."

She sighed, waving a dismissing hand at him. "You are just lucky that Captain Hikifune trusts her sensei more than you, enough to inform me what my wayward students are getting up to when they are meant to be keeping a low profile while the Captain-Commander is trying to clear his name with a certain clan. You have her to thank for me preparing this place for you and getting all the necessary preparations to operate on you while not having to bring you to 4th Division Headquarters and attract all that unnecessary attention to your extra activities."

"I would have done that if that was the only way to save you but it would have caused...problems with the Matsumura clan. Though somehow I think now we already are going to have those...since there was nothing to be found at the Kurayama-ke estate, only some empty cells underground with walls of Sekkiseki that they could explain away as fallout shelters to escape to in the event of another civil war. Not exactly courageous but not criminal either."

"They managed to clear everything out that fast?"

Unohana nodded wearily. "Yes. The 6th Division under the command of Captain Kuchiki raided the Kurayama-ke estate but they found nothing. And as a result, the Gotei 13 looks foolish as a result among the nobles. Well...at least you covered your reiatsu presence while infiltrating the place. The people the Matsumura-ke dispatched to investigate were unable to confirm you being there and your brother is not likely to say anything when he has no proof and official trouble could be just as damning to him as it is to you."

"Ah..." Shiro sighed heavily, even that simple movement causing pain to shoot through his body again and wince. His sensei laid a gentle hand on his chest and warmth spreading from the point of contact, quelling the surge of pain before it could rise further. "I really screwed up this time, huh sensei?"

"The results of your private investigations have not turned anything up yet, Captain Matsumura..." The 4th Captain paused a moment, considering him. "But...I cannot shake the feeling that you may be correct in your actions and the Captain-Commander himself did not issue orders for you to stand down for now."

She turned away, looking out the window on the dense woodland from the high position the Unohana-Ryuu Kenjutsu dojo was situated on. She seemed to be collecting her thoughts from Shiro's point of view and regaining her accustomed calm composure. "In the past, your suspicions have often proven to be well-founded and so we trusted you. You have never betrayed our faith and I can only hope that that faith continues to be deserved."

"Of course, sensei. I understand..." Through a mask of bandages, Shiro's lips flickered in a faint smile. He felt Unohana turn from the window to look back at him, wearing a smile of her own as she regarded him, genuine warmth in her expression, tinged with concern.

"You should be able to return to your...unofficial duties by the end of the week. You always did recover quickly. Though I would advise avoiding prolonged combat if you can help it." Her haori fluttered slightly in the weak breeze as she walked over to the bed where he lay, resting a hand on his uninjured shoulder. "I mean it, Shi...Captain Matsumura. You take proper care of yourself from now on or either Captain Hikifune or myself will be dragging you back here to make sure you do not kill yourself. Do you understand, Captain?"

"Understood, sensei."

--

Sparks flew as the silver and black clashed against each other. Rei's arms were aching but she kept on going, knowing that if she let up for even a moment, Kurogane's blade would find her flesh properly. Blood already ran from a number of shallow cuts across her skin, some overlapping other previous injuries she had taken in the past. The longer they fought, the faster their blades darted in and met, the instructor steadily increasing the pace and power behind her blows, both weapons becoming blurs to the human eye and churning up the air around them, causing strong winds to rustle the trees around the courtyard.

Faster... Stronger... The buildings nearby began to shake as their combined spiritual pressures intensified, the air growing hotter around Rei as she danced around multiple strikes, swinging back for Kurogane between attacks whenever the opportunity presented itself. Her skin began to feel like it was glowing, her sword beginning to feel like it was burning beneath her fingers. The world was turning red, fading to a bloody crimson mist. _Not this again..._

"Don't hold it back, Mikihara."

That was a whole lot simpler... Instead of fighting it, letting it just take over her. Her resistance fell and in an instant, the world felt like it was exploding in a rain of fire, a storm of flames roaring around her like a tornado. Her sword felt light as it cleaved through the air, just missing Kurogane face by an inch. The asauchi spun in her hand, slapping firmly in her palm as she drew back and then stabbed forward in one smooth motion, striking like a coiled viper as it cut through the distance between the two in the blink of an eye. Time seemed to slow as her blade punched forward to stab through her instructor's heart.

Then she saw her instructor's eyes gleam with the sudden focus of one who has just spied the opening they'd been looking for the whole fight. Rei's right arm stabbed forward in what seemed to be slow motion even though her strike was faster than any of her previous attacks. Seemingly effortlessly, Kurogane suddenly seemed to tilt her body aside to the left, letting the razor-edge cleave past her, only a few strands of hair fluttering away on the winds churned up by their clash.

With a crunch, Karaishou stabbed down into the ground as her left hand snapped out and encircled the wrist of Rei's sword arm. Drawing back her arm, right hand closed in a claw, Kurogane suddenly drove her hand into Rei's forehead, the physical blow just a feather-like brush but the spiritual force behind the hit blasting her flat on her back as darkness closed on her on all sides, swallowing her up and plunging her into her inner world once again even as she struggled to cling to reality...and her sanity.

Almost at once, the darkness was blasted away in a storm of fire as the world of her dreams closed in on all sides, blackened walls rising out of the ground around her. Rei picked up her asauchi as she forced herself to her feet slowly. She could still feel warmth on her forehead where Kurogane's hand had been only the woman was gone suddenly and soon so too was the sensation of her touch as the overwhelming heat all around her intensified still further. There was a flash of light out of the corner of her eye and she spun around, asauchi raised in a guard.

The light was a flash off a mirror, wreathed in flames. The black shihakushou rippled around the figure of fake-Rei as she stood facing her, the reflection's eyes hidden behind her long dark fringe that fluttered on the hot air currents the buffeted Rei back and forth, making it harder to stand straight. There was a gleam of bloody eyes through the black hair, narrowed in cruel stare directed at her. Slashing her asauchi through the air, Rei stood straighter, firm against the winds as she saw her reflection walking slowly towards her.

"Rei... Welcome home."

She grit her teeth, forcing herself not to reply. Her asauchi came up slowly in a guard when suddenly her clone lunged from the mirror once again, the bloodied katana slashing for her head. The strike threw her back but this time she was ready as Rei flipped backwards, rolling hard and meeting the next attack and parrying hard. The fake-Rei kept bearing down on her, several heavy strikes causing her to stumble before she tripped and fell back, just managing to bring her asauchi up, palm resting on the blunt side to support her weapon as her clone slashed down for her head.

"You've improved, Rei." Her clone's face was only inches from hers, burning red-tinged eyes gazing into her own. She hardened her heart with resolve as she faced the hatred and disgust of her reflection. Their blades sparked together, before Rei reverted to her innate basic combat, headbutting forward and then using her foot to throw her clone back. Leaping to her feet, she charged forward and slashed low but the fake-Rei spun around the strike, cutting a shallow wound across the back of her legs.

A faint gasp escaped Rei's lips but she spun in time to stop the next sword swing taking off her head. Three more clashes, more powerful than before, followed by a high swing swept her asauchi high. The fake-Rei became a blur of movement as she stabbed in low beneath her now-raised weapon to punch through her chest. Blood splashed across Rei's face and she gave a faint cry of pain despite her best attempts to suppress it.

The bloody katana protruded from Rei's hand, piercing through the palm where she'd just managed to raise it, barely stopping the weapon's tip from reaching her heart. A grin creased the clone's lips. "Oh that's good, Rei. I'm impressed. But...it's not enough."

"This is the end, Rei..." Her reflection's fist gripped her by the front of her bloodied Academy uniform, hauling her close with the tip of her katana at her throat. The clone let go of her, letting her fall as she took her katana in both hands, drawing back to swing with both hands to decapitate her.

"Mikihara!"

What felt like a thunderbolt exploded across her vision, blasting her away from the inferno. Hands seized the front of Rei's uniform, a coolness counteracting the searing heat across her skin as she was forcibly hauled clear, being dragged bodily out of the fire and back to the real world. They dragged her around as the katana slashed over her head, disintegrating to nothing as the bright sun flared back into existence overhead.

Blinking fiercely to try and restore her vision, Rei found herself looking up into the face of Kurogane-sensei. For once, her stern expression seemed to have softened, showing the concern behind the normal mask of indifference and callousness. The moment Kurogane-sensei's noticed Rei's eyes had refocused enough to see clearly, the older woman's instructor's face returned.

"Are you alright, Mikihara?"

"I... I have no idea what happened? And...what did you do?"

Despite herself, Kurogane-sensei gave a small weary smile, eyes closed as she wiped the sweat from her brow. Although the fight itself hadn't been very strenuous for her, the effort of having dragged her out of her inner world seemed to have been far more taxing than she had anticipated. Still, she recovered quickly as she sheathed her zanpakutou and pulled Rei to her feet. Inclining her head to the left, she called over her shoulder to the dark corridors running alongside the training ground.

"Yadoumaru! Get out here immediately. I want you to take Mikihara here to the infirmary."

"Understood, sensei!" Rei's head snapped around in surprise to see the bespectacled fellow academy student pop out of the bushes. Lisa seemed surprised herself, standing up straight in the middle of some foliage, only realising she'd stepped out of her concealed spot a few moments after doing so. She hesitated for a moment before stepping forward to comply with the instructor's orders.

"She always does that... How does she always know?" Lisa muttered under her breath as she lifted Rei's arm over her shoulders and hauled her up to her feet, supporting her as the younger student limped slowly from the training ground. At first, Rei wanted to try and walk on her own; pushing away from the other girl only to stumble as her legs almost gave way, all strength lost from her limbs. Lisa caught her before she fell and Rei smiled weakly, nodding her thanks.

"Maybe because you're always hanging around where you're not meant to be, Lisa-san."

"That could be it..." Lisa looked thoughtful for a moment before continuing on their slow journey to the infirmary. "But whatever... Let's get you checked out before you fall apart, Rei."

"Alright..."


End file.
